Strange things can happen
by Arawn D. Draven
Summary: Sometimes life can take a turn for the strangest. What will happen to Kane after he sees a falling spaceship and decides to investigate it? Story now rated M for some gore scenes, sex and possibly strong language.
1. Chapter 1-Jogging

##This is my first fanfiction, so I hope it'll be good enough for those who read it (I am French, so as much as I dislike it, I may have missed some mistakes in my chapters, just tell me what they are and I'll fix them as soon as I can)##

##I have to thank XLR8ION for letting me use some of her ideas that I found in her fanfic "Family" (I won't tell what they are, spoilers inside): thanks for letting me use them, and good luck for the rewriting!##

-**Disclaimer:****I do NOT own the Alien franchise, nor the Predator one **-

-With that said, enjoy!-

01

Jogging

It was at the end of October. While the days were growing short, the temperatures were still way higher than usual, so it wasn't that unusual to see people wearing only their shirts to avoid the suffocation. The tree leaves were slowly turning to red, yellow, and every color between, and although most of them were still holding on, quite a few of them were already lying on the ground. Since a forest was near, the wind often blew quite a few packs of brown, curled up leaves, much to the joy of the children, who enjoyed playing with them.

It was the end of the day, with the sun slowly setting, and most people were already getting back home after a day of hard work. Among the few one still on the streets, a tall young man was jogging, sometimes jumping aside to avoid hitting a kid. Wearing a black shirt , some jeans and sunglasses, he wasn't really athletic, like most people who jog, but rather thin, with a somehow weak building. It wasn't that he was skinny, rather that he was giving off the impression that the slightest push of wind could send him flying.

Avoiding a middle school boy riding a bike, he then turned to the right, following a hiking trail that was climbing a nearby hill. Quickly reaching its top, he paused for a few seconds, his sweat glowing in the fading light. Removing his sunglasses, he tried to distinguish the landscape, a difficult task for him, since he was blind.

Well, even if he was somehow blind, in the most human sense, he could still 'see' what was around him, although the colors were missing. The easiest for him to sense were the living beings, since he was even able to somehow tell how they were feeling, which allowed him to get along well with most people. Of course, when he was still young, he thought that everyone could do the same, but he quickly realized it's wasn't true at all, so he stuck to the part of the 'blind', 'disturbed' child, never telling anyone about how he felt the world. Even though, his parents loved him, and that was more that he could ask for, so he didn't do anything to make them think he was a lot more perceptive than what the 'blind' label would allow.

Disturbing his thoughts, an ear-piercing noise made him cover his ears, while searching for the source of the disturbance, which he managed to pinpoint, falling with great speed from the sky. The last glimpse of it that the young man managed to catch was just before it collided with the ground behind a nearby hill, which was already far enough from town to avoid being noticed, although the impact shook the earth quite badly. The smell of something burnt filled the air, following the sound, and the young man decided to go and take a look, since he was curious and still had some time before nightfall.

Before heading to the approximate location of the impact, he sent a message to his parents, writing "I may be a little late, you can eat without me. Kane", then jogged to see what it was that fell from the sky, already wondering if it could be some kind of meteor, or a big satellite part.

While running, he started to think about how much he would be able to sell it if it was a meteor. Not that he had a real love for money, but rather for what money could buy. Since he was categorized 'blind' at an early age, his parents spent quite some money to get him into an institute specialized in educating children supposedly like him, so when he got out of it during middle-school, and found out about libraries with books that weren't written only in Braille, he started getting interested in them. Of course, whenever he would ask his parents to buy him some, they would look at him and say 'Don't you want another one, one that you can read?'. So he stopped asking them, using his allowance to secretly buy books whenever he could. Of course, first, he had to learn what the letters were, finding which Braille code went with which letter, but eventually, he managed to learn them all. Afterwards, he started to get interested in medical papers, curious about his condition, and learning things a middle-school student, and later high-school, wasn't supposed to know. Little did he know that by reading those papers, he came to be more knowledgeable about medical things than most doctors in town. Before he knew it, he could tell precisely whatever was happening to someone, if it was a simple flu, or a more serious kind of disease. Of course, when he started to diagnose people, he made a few mistakes, but he quickly learnt from his fails, and became even more interested in medical stuff.

Lately, he was trying to get enough money to buy a very specialized book, about a world study on blindness, which was his very idea of the Holy Grail of books. Whatever it was that fell down, it would surely be way enough to get him what he wanted, and maybe enough to save for a few months.

Lost in his thoughts, Kane didn't realize immediately that he was staring at a huge crater, at least fifty meters large, and deeper than he was tall, although he was definitely not small, since he was already 6'7'' tall, causing him to often be mistaken for a college student. But what was really amazing wasn't the crater, but rather what caused it. It was obviously not something natural, and its metallic, yet simple shell, wasn't really damaged, which was quite impressive, since it must had fallen for a few hundred kilometers before crashing. Smoke was still coming out of it, and even from where he was, Kane could feel the heat coming from the ship.

The ship, as he had to call it, was not the kind of aggressive-looking, heavy-armored warship you'd see in movies, but rather a smaller, more furtive kind of vehicle. It looked more like some kind of furtive ship, an infiltration one, used to hide oneself from whatever could be dangerous for its users. Watching closer, Kane noticed that whoever the 'users' were, he didn't want to mess with them, since the door which was open was obviously made for something, or someone, even taller than him.

Before he could study any more of the ship, he felt a kind of tickling in the back of his mind, and, curious, began to walk towards a nearby grove, where most of the trees were still standing, the closest ones having protected the others from the impact lying on the ground. Most of them were fairly old ones, but a few smaller trunks were among them, lying wherever the 'landing' of the ship blew them off.

Feeling the sensation in his mind grow, he directed himself towards a small place surrounded by large rocks near the stream of a little river, looking around to check if anything was a little off. Of course, he didn't know if anything dangerous was around, but if the owner of the ship wasn't here to sightsee, he would like to avoid being caught off guard, since he didn't know whatever the visitor was there for.

Walking as silently as possible, Kane kept looking for anything that would be out of place, but the only thing he could sense was that something was there, something that wasn't from Earth, and that whatever it was, the forest inhabitants deemed it dangerous enough to cease their usual sounds. Anyone beside Kane would have been unable to tell where was the source of the disturbance, but since his was only able to feel the world with his peculiar 'vision', his other senses were put to full use, which allowed him to sense that whatever was disturbing the forest, it was close.

Turning around a huge rock blocking his path, he saw something on the ground. It was big, and for what he could tell by his own experience with his sight, it was dark-colored, but what disturbed him the most was that it felt somehow familiar, even though he didn't remember ever seeing anything like it.

Starting to get closer, since the being didn't move at all, he sensed something behind him, and turned right in time to see something leap from a nearby tree, colliding with him and sending him to the ground with incredible force. Feeling dizzy, Kane tried to get up, but something pushed him down with enough power to nearly knock him out, weighting heavily on his arms and legs.

Trying to struggle, he heard a loud hissing sound, which he could tell was a threat from his aggressor, who was obviously displeased by his attempts to free himself. Understanding that struggling would only angry whatever was holding him down, he ceased to move, while attempting to focus his senses enough to see what was happening.

At first, he could only see some simple shapes, but his 'sight' and other senses sharpened, recovering from the overloaded state they were in, and he gradually managed to grasp the situation he was in, which was quite strange. For what he could see, a girl was pinning him down, holding both his arms and his legs on the ground with a strength far greater that Kane could have expected, and hissing threateningly.

Although the way he was held down would have prevented anyone else to see more than the girl's face, his peculiar vision allowed him to see that although her face was human-like, her body wasn't. Her arms were finished by four long fingers, two of them acting as opposite thumbs, while two longer and larger ones stood on top of the hand, each and every one of them finished by sharp claws that were cutting his skin quite badly. Her chest was covered by some kind of exoskeleton, which also covered her arms and legs, who were more feline-like than human. Finally, he could sense a tail with something sharp digging the ground a little too close to his head.

_Threat! Threat! Threat to Stryss!_

What he just heard rendered Kane speechless. He had heard a girl's voice, quite clearly, speaking inside his head.

_Threat! Kill threat! Quickly kill! Stryss wounded! Take care of threat and after help Stryss!_

Too surprised to feel scared, Kane spoke up.

-Hey, you're speaking about your friend, ain't you? Want me to...

He couldn't finish his sentence that he heard a new hissing sound, and at the same time he felt à burning sensation on his left eye, where the girl had cut him.

_Aouch! It hurts, dammit!_

Suddenly, the girl stopped moving, watching Kane with wide eyes, as if she didn't see him before.

_Threat speaks? How come?_

The same voice than before rang again inside his mind.

-Of course I speak! What I'd like to know is...

The girls hissed again, her face closer than before.

_Well, she would be kind of cute, if she wasn't trying to kill me, _thought Kane. Once again, the girl stopped moving, her face so close than his that he could nearly feel her lips on his nose. Of course, at the moment, he didn't feel like trying to kiss her or anything near, since she was still holding him down and was obviously trying to figure out if she should kill him or not.

_Threat spoke again! 'Cute', what is?_

Since he always heard the voice inside his head, Kane started to figure out why his aggressor wasn't understanding anything he said. He decided to try something.

_Uhm, hello there?_ he thought. Seeing the girl watch him intently, he tried once more.

_Hello? Can I help you?_

Suddenly, Kane felt a huge wave of emotions flow over him: anger, pain, fear, and also curiosity.

With her face still inches away of Kane's, the girl smelled him all over, loosening her grip. Deciding not to try escaping, the young man didn't move, letting the weird being smell him for a few minutes.

_No threat? Threat like Stryss and K'tyss?_

_Dunno what you mean by 'like you', but if your friend is injured, we'd better help her before it becomes dangerous._

_Stryss helps? So Threat is not threat?_

_I'm not a threat, and my name is Kane. K-A-N-E._

The girl let him go, then crawled on all fours to the being Kane had seen before the girl-K'tyss-, pushed him to the ground, waiting for him to help her.

With the help of his new acquaintance, Kane managed to pull the unconscious being the girl called Stryss closer to the stream of the river, with the cool wind cooling them. Delicately lowering the head of the alien on the ground in a position that wouldn't put too much strain on her neck, he felt a burning pain on both his forearms. Watching them, he saw that most of their skin was being consumed by something. Hurrying to the water while whining loudly from the pain, he pushed his arm in the water, screaming to the pain it caused him to feel, but fairly sure that whatever was dissolving his skin would be washed off by the stream.


	2. Chapter 2-Mutual interests

##I do not own the alien frannchise, nor the predator one##

##Here's the second chapter, enjoy! Reviews are welcome!##

02

Mutual interests

**K'tyss POV**

K'tyss was confused. The human she pushed down to kill, since he was a potential threat to her unconscious sister, managed to speak. She didn't know that they were able to, since the only ones she had seen were only able to make those annoying noises with their mouth. How were they even able to understand each other? That was something she could not comprehend, although Stryss had told her once that she was able to understand some words in their language, and that she would be able too if she tried to listen some more.

After she smelled the speaking human, she sensed pheromones similar to some of her own kind, which was quite surprising. The few humans she had seen in her life didn't smell like this one, only of fear, sweat, and of delicious meat. While she was thinking, the human didn't move, then again being different from the others she had seen, who only tried to flee whenever they spotted her or her sister. She started wondering why this peculiar male was able to speak, but he then started making those annoying noises most human made when they were communicating, which she disliked, so she hissed, telling him to be quiet.

_Well, she would be kind of cute, if she wasn't trying to kill me, _she heard. Again, the same voice said something she could comprehend. Since the only ones around were her sister and the human male, it had to be his voice that she heard. Still, she didn't understand how a mere human could speak like her kind. And _what _was 'cute', anyway? It wasn't a word she knew.

She was still trying to get what was happening when she heard the same voice.

_Uhm, hello there?_

Hearing the male communicating with her was interesting, but was it really his doing?

_Hello? Can I help you?_

K'tyss was startled. She never would have imagined that a human would ask her if she needed help, which was quite the case, since she wanted to help her sister, but didn't know what to do. At the same time, she felt an urge to understand what was happening, how the human male she was pinning down could speak like her brethren, and above all, fear. Fear of the unknown thing that was happening, fear to lose her sister, fear about a world she knew nothing of.

Before deciding anything, she thoroughly smelled him, making sure he wasn't planning some kind of trap, but all she could sense was a familiar smell, and while his thoughts weren't clear to her, she could still feel that he was genuinely worried about her sister and herself.

After making sure the male wasn't a threat, she tried to make him understand what she wanted by getting close the body of her sister, who was still unconscious, and had a faint cut on her neck, with some of her blood dripping from it. With the help of her new acquaintance, she managed to move her sister closer to the water, without shaking her too much.

When her sister was finally put down, she saw the human male watch his forearms, where some of her sister's blood had fell, and felt his sudden pain in her mind. Before she could do anything, he went to the water, and rinsed his wounded arms in the stream. Still, something bothered her. Of course, since she was solely focusing on helping her sister, she hadn't thought to tell the human to avoid touching the blood dripping from the neck of Stryss, but any ordinary being would have seen both his arms been eaten away by the acidity. Then, why did the male still have his arms? Why did the blood only eat his skin, and way slower than it should have?

She was still watching the human wash his arms in the water, when she felt her sister was waking up. Moving to her side, she saw her slowly awaking, and then turn to her.

_Did we make it?_ Stryss asked, still too weak to move, but already starting to heal.

_Yes. But don't move, you were hit by something, and you're injured._ While she was happy to see that her only family was well, K'tyss was already wondering how she should tell her sister that she was helped by a human. Of course, she sensed her unease right away.

_K'tyss, what are you hiding from me? I can easily tell that you're not telling me everything._

K'tyss straightened immediately, surprised by her sister's words. She hadn't expected her to see through her right away. Making sure that the human was still washing his wounds out of her sister's sight, she then sat down, fidgeting.

_I...had some help to bring you here. There was a human male walking around, and I wanted to kill him before he'd call others, but he started talking, and he even offered to help me._

Stryss couldn't believe what she had just heard. Even though both her sister and herself were interested in humans, the sole reaction they could get when approaching them was fear, and hatred. They had tried to communicate with them a few times, but never obtained an answer.

_So? What happened to this human? I don't sense him._

Turning her head, K'tyss showed the back of Kane, who was still with his arms in the stream.

_He's washing his arms. Some of your blood fell on him, but rather than dissolving his arms, it only ate away his skin, and slower than it would have ordinary done. Right now, he is in great pain, I can feel it._

If Stryss had had eyes, they would have widened quite a bit when she heard what her sister told her.

_You can _feel_ it? How come?_

_I don't know, but it must be related as to how he can communicate with us._

Standing up carefully, the dark-skinned alien looked around herself, checking her surroundings, a survival habit quite understandable in a world neither her or her sister knew.

_Well, before doing anything, we should at least thank him. For what we have seen of humans, I would have expected him to flee or try to kill us._

_True, but he smells like us, although I don't know why._

_Like us? Now you've made me even more curious about him._

**Kane POV**

After he had finished washing the substance that dissolved his arms skin, Kane stayed with his forearms in the water, enjoying the cool touch of the stream. Knowing that sooner or later he'll have to face the pain of his bare flesh outside the water, he breathed hard and pulled his arms outside the stream, immediately screaming in pain, as the air wrapped around his wounds, igniting a fire on both of them. A few tears travelled from his eyes to the ground, since he wasn't familiar with that kind of suffering.

Hearing a sound behind him, he turned around, falling face-to-face with the alien he helped the girl carrying. Now that he could see it closely, he saw it was even taller than him, with a long-shaped skull, and no apparent eyes. Its whole body was covered with the same strange exoskeleton that covered parts of the strange girl body, a dark, shimmering armor. It had a long, bean-shaped head, quite different from any one he had seen. What was worrying Kane, though, was the very sharp teeth in its mouth, only inches away from his skin, clearly the sign that it wasn't a kind herbivore, but rather a carnivore. Although he helped it, he didn't know if he was going to finish the day in an alien stomach, and the tough wasn't reassuring at all.

While he was standing there, unmoving, the alien smelled him all over, then, for a moment, turned to watch the girl, who gave it a "Yeah, I know" look, before looking to Kane again, cocking its head to the side, and then turning to his wounded arms.

Gradually, he sensed something in his head, similar to what he felt when the girl talked in his mind, but this time, it was more like someone was trying to get the right distance when using a cell phone.

_HellO?HELLO?Hello? Hear? You hear?_

Slowly, Kane nodded. Since the girl was able to speak in his mind, it wasn't that strange that the alien she called her sister was able to do the same.

_Not move. Me help. Me heal you._

While listening carefully, Kane became aware of something: it wasn't words he was hearing, but things his own brain made into something comprehensible for him. It was the same thing when the girl communicated with him: she wasn't using human words, but his brain managed to make her speech more human-like. It must had been the same case the other way around, since his thoughts were in English, but the girl managed to understand them.

Deciding he should at least try to be polite, he decided to answer, and cautiously 'spoke' up, putting his thoughts into words:

_Uh, thank you. I don't know if you understand what I'm saying, but I'm glad you're not going to kill me._

The alien looked up, with a loud purr, which Kane took like its way of laughing.

_Me not kill you. You help me, me help you. Me blood hurt you, then me help to heal._

_That acid thing was your _blood_? I wouldn't want to be there when you're badly wounded then._

_You not move. Me heal. Hurt, but heal._

Kane nodded, taking a deep breath. The alien then opened its mouth, extending something that looked like a tube, with a second mouth at its end. This second mouth then spat something on Kane's wounds, who shivered from the pain and the cold sensation. In a few seconds, both of his forearms were covered by some kind of resin, that started to harden, forming a protective shell around his wounds. At first, it was a transparent, glass-like cover, put then Kane noticed that it was somehow getting darker and darker, finally becoming just like the black skeleton on the alien.

Feeling no more pain, Kane turned himself to the alien, and gave it a thanking nod.

_Thanks._

Remembering that the girl called the alien "Stryss", he tried again:

_Thanks, Stryss._

A loud purr came from the alien, and Kane felt that she was grateful for his thanks. Then, looking to both the girl and to Stryss, he tried to 'talk' to both of them at the same time.

_We should move. Even if nobody is here now, we don't know when someone might come, and I doubt you want to be taken to a lab to be guinea pigs._

At the word 'lab', both the girl and Stryss stiffened, but before he could ask them anything, his arms started to feel like they were burning, and the pain only grew more intense, spreading to his whole body. Falling on his knees, Kane tried to lock eyes with the girl, but he couldn't see anything, as if most of his senses had shut down. Starting to cough, he put his hand on his mouth, only to feel something sticky on it, and as he felt the taste of iron, he knew that he was actually coughing up blood. Suffocating, he fell down on his stomach, and turning to the side, he vomited everything in his stomach, along with some more blood.

_What...the...hell?_ was the last thing he could think, before his brain stopped to think logically.

With a last cough, he fell unconscious, unable to grasp what was happening to him.

* * *

**Today's chapter is shorter, but I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Don't worry about the cliffhanger, next chapter should be out around next Sunday. I hope it'll be short enough for those who want to know what's happening.**


	3. Chapter 3-Commotion

##Hey there! Here comes the third chapter! I hope it'll satisfy you, but if I want to get better, I'll need reviews to tell me what sucks in here##

##I don't own the Alien, Predator or AVP franchise##

03

Commotion

**KANE POV**

Groaning in pain, Kane slowly opened his eyes. Even though he didn't need to do it to be able to see, he still did it, since it was an unconscious habit he picked up by interacting with other people. He was leaning on something soft, slightly warm, that didn't feel like anything he knew. Trying to focus, he managed to get his senses back, only to see that he was in quite a strange situation. For what he could see, he was lying on the strange girl's lap, with her curled around him, her tail around his legs. While the girl was holding him, the alien was nowhere in sight, until he tried to move, only to see that Stryss was herself curled around her sister and himself.

_Well, that certainly wasn't what I expected when I went on a jog._

Hearing his thoughts, the girl opened her eyes, and saw him awake. Smiling with relief, she slowly got up, waking her sister, who also stood up, looking at him.

_You well?_ she asked.

_Yeah, but I didn't think that healing my wounds would be so, err, painful._

Stryss tilted her head.

_Heal was not painful. Not know what happen._

_You mean it wasn't your fault I went through that hellish pain?_

_Wasn't. Also, you one of us?_

This time it was Kane who tilted his head. He wasn't really getting what she was saying. Stryss made a head motion towards his arms, somehow perplexed. Looking at them, Kane screamed in surprise: for what he could see, his arms where now very similar to his new friends' ones, as they now had the same exoskeleton on them. Trying to take it off, since it must had been the resin Stryss spat on his arms earlier, he found out that it wasn't. While he tried to find the beginning of the strange thing, he found that it was starting from his shoulders, and that his skin wasn't covered by anything, but rather mutated near his shoulders, becoming the very skeleton he was trying to take off.

Starting to shake, Kane started looking to Stryss, then to the girl, his head turning back and forth between them.

-WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT THE...WHAT HAPPENED TO MY ARMS?!

Both the girl and Stryss hissed, surprised by Kane's sudden snapping. Refusing to believe that what was happening was real, he went to a nearby tree, whose trunk was the size of his waist, and tried to hit it, hoping that the thing on his arms would break, and that below it he would see his old arms, the ones he was familiar with. Much to his dismay and surprise, and to his new friends' one, the tree, rather than breaking his new exoskeleton, exploded, sending fragments of wood all over the place, with some of them scratching Kane's cheeks, but he was way too shocked to notice the pain.

-Holy sh...

All he could do was stand there, with the tree falling, his brain processing the information, slowly but surely: **You aren't human anymore**. While the thought itself was disturbing, its simplicity made it easier to swallow. Since being 'human' wasn't something that could be defined by mere genetics, Kane choose not to start an debate about what he was now. He was himself, so what did he care? The only thing that bugged him was that he would now have to be careful not to let anyone see his arms. He didn't want to be turned into some guinea pig for the sake of scientist's experiments.

Looking at his new arms, he examined them closely. His new skin was shimmering dark, that he could tell. His hands still had their five fingers, which were now longer and thinner, and finished by sharp claws, which would have done well in a fight. With his newfound strength and these natural weapons, he realized he was now quite dangerous, way more than any ordinary human.

Still standing before the broken trunk, he asked his new friends:

_Are you the ones who did this to me?_

Both of them hissed loudly, quite displeased with his assumptions.

_Of course it wasn't us! All we wanted to do by spitting our resin on you was to heal you!_ the girl's voice said.

_Right! Didn't want to hurt._ Stryss's voice added.

Since he could feel their thoughts, he knew they were telling the truth. Then, why did his arms become like theirs? Was it some kind of genetic alteration unknown to them? Then, did something else change about him? Looking all over himself, he didn't find anything that was out of place, his legs, chest and face felt like they should have, and beside an odd sensation of power since he shattered the tree, he didn't notice anything particular.

Turning back to Stryss and her sister, he found out that his 'vision' had changed as well. Now he could see that they were a lot alike, but that the girl was closer to being human than Stryss. He could see the similarities between their life signature, aura, or whatever was the name of the faint thing around them, and also sense their state of mind, which right now was fairly worried.

Snapping out of his wondering state, he tried to smile, but the result looked way more like a grin. However, both Stryss and her sister looked relieved, seeing him at least calm enough to worry about them.

As they were staring awkwardly at each other, a loud ring surprised all of them, before Kane recognized the sound of his cell phone ringtone, and hastily took it out, shivering in fear as he saw who was calling him.

_Please, stay silent while I answer, you two_, he told the two aliens, before answering the call.

-Ahem, hello, Mom...

A unbelievably loud and strident voice came out the phone.

- Yeah, I know, I told you I would be a little late. Well, let me see...9.30PM? Sorry, I didn't know it was so late...Yes...Yes...Half an hour, I guess? Yes. Yes, Mom.

Sighing dejectedly, he turned to the two aliens, who were staring at him curiously. He didn't know what to do with them, since his mother just told him to get home ASAP. He was worried of what would happen if anyone found out about his arms, but that would be easy to hide by wearing bandages and gloves and behaving carefully. What would not be easy, however, would be hiding the two sisters.

Of course, he wasn't planning at all to leave them on their own, since they didn't know anything about Earth, and also because he felt somehow attracted to them, as if they were family. And for what he could see, they were carnivorous beings, too, so he felt it would be better to keep an eye on them, to make sure none of them would start eating people, which would make things rather difficult for both the aliens and himself. He seriously didn't want to have a bunch of hysteric people trying to find a murderer, who in this case would be anyone they would find standing out to much. If he was to be examined carefully, he was sure that his new peculiarity would condemn him more than any kind of proof.

When he wondered what he would do to hide them, and what would happen if they were to be discovered, he came down to one conclusion: **WELL,SHIT. **

_You two, come with me. You're gonna stay at my place, since there's no other choice, but I'll need you to be extra careful not to be seen by anyone but me, okay?_

Both the girl and the alien nodded. Kane could feel their relief, but also some curiosity towards himself.

_Before we get going, I believe we weren't introduced correctly. I'm Kane, pleased to meet you._

_K'tyss, _the girl said, smiling.

_Stryss_, the alien said, while looking at him intently. _You interesting. You not fear, you help us. Why?_

Kane shrugged, since he truly didn't know why he helped them.

_Dunno, but you could say that since you're the first friends I've ever got, I wouldn't want to leave you alone. But feel free to ask whatever you want to me while we're going to my place._

Starting to turn around, he felt the stare of his two guests on his back, and after a few seconds, he heard them start to follow him. Catching up with him, the girl peered curiously at his face, as if it was something extremely interesting, while her sister followed them a few steps behind, slowly walking on her two hind legs.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Kane decided to speak up, hoping to learn more about Stryss and K'tyss, and about their species.

_So, what made you come to Earth?_

_We escaped._

_Escaped? From where?_

_I'd don't want to speak about it,_ K'tyss answered, suddenly looking uneasy. _Tell us about Earth, Kane,_ she asked, peering into his face.

_Err, ok, but I don't know where to start, so it might take a while._

Twenty minutes later, Kane started to look around with unease. They were now walking down the town's streets, and although they hadn't bumped into anyone, he was still worried that someone would see them, since it wasn't that late. Fortunately, since it was October, the nightfall was early enough for it to be completely dark by the time they entered the city, so all they had to do was avoid the city's lights, which was still easier said than done. He also made sure to avoid any kind of place that may have had a security camera.

As they reached his house, Kane couldn't help but give a sigh of relief, since not even once did they bump into anyone, and he was quite sure they had managed to avoid getting filmed. Kane's place was a fairly huge house, since both his parents were doctors, and it was way enough for the four living inside, his little sister always saying that her bedroom was big enough for her to loose her make-up.

_Your Hive is quite big, Kane,_ he heard.

_You mean my house? Yeah. I guess I'm lucky to have two parents earning a lot of money._

Actually, Kane didn't really like his parents behavior, since they were always making their jobs more important than their own children, even if he knew they loved him and his sister. He faintly remembered a girl crying over a broken vase and smirked.

_Anyway, we're almost there. Can you hide yourselves for a little while? I'm going to get to my room to open the window, and from there on all you'll have to do will be climbing up the tree next to it._

Both the girl and the alien nodded, and a few seconds later, they were nowhere in sight. Well, in 'human' sight, would be more precise, since now Kane could sense them, K'tyss behind a garbage can, and Stryss in a nearby tree. Grinning, he went to the backdoor, making sure not to make a single noise that would reveal his presence. He didn't want to think about what would happen if anyone saw him in his current state: to cover up his arms, he had ripped parts of his shirts to wrap around them, only keeping a very thin t-shirt on him, and he still had stains of blood left from when he fainted .

Luckily for him, he managed to get in without much noise, and he then hurried to his bedroom. Another good point was that he had his own personal bathroom, his parents believing it would be best, since he could remember where everything was, which he would not have been able to if he had to use the common bathroom. Then again, he didn't really need it, since his 'blindness' wasn't much of a problem, but he still appreciated to have his own bathroom, since he didn't like getting out of his bedroom, exceptions of when he went jogging or when he had to go to the library.

Making sure he had closed the door, he promptly removed his improvised bandages, shoved them into the trash can, and took out a few surgical bands, wrapping them around both his arms. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, which he could now see thanks to his new, improved vision, he felt satisfied, before seeing something out of place. For some reason, his eyes did not look human-like, as they were now entirely dark-colored. For anyone else, it would have been a terrible news, but since Kane didn't need to have his eyes open for his 'vision' to work, he could simply say that since he was blind, he didn't need to keep his eyes opened. He knew that most people wouldn't want to pry further, since his state made it difficult to ask anything about what was related to it.

Once he made sure that nothing else was strange about his appearance, he walked to the window, opened it, and told both his guests to get in quickly. Materializing in the nearby tree, Stryss jumped forward the opened window, entering Kane's room without much difficulty. A strange noise attracted his attention though, and turning back to see where K'tyss was, he was surprised to see her climbing on the wall as easily as if she was crawling on the ground. In the blink of an eye, both of them were in his room, looking around as if they had never seen a bedroom. _Which might be the case. I don't really know anything about how they use to live_._ Which reminds me, K'tyss called the house a 'Hive'. Do their species have some kind of bee-like hierarchy?_

His thoughts were disturbed by a powerful knock to his door, which caused everyone in the room to go silent.

-I know you're here, so open this door! his mother said, rather angrily.

_Come here, fast!_ Kane thought, making a gesture to the bathroom door.

When he was sure that both K'tyss and Stryss were in the bathroom, he slowly closed the door.

_Now, don't move until I tell you to, okay?_

**K'tyss POV**

K'tyss was entranced by everything she saw on the way back to Kane's house. Everything was so new to her that she couldn't help but stare at whatever entered her field of vision, even at something as ordinary than an street lamp, but then again, she didn't know what it was.

Her sister, too, was pretty astonished to see what a human town looked like. Since they had been together for a long time, K'tyss could see that she was using her alien senses to their utmost, to analyze everything she could see, hear, smell or experience.

When they arrived to their destination, K'tyss couldn't help but notice that Kane's Hive was surprisingly big when compared to the other ones she saw while coming there.

_Your Hive is quite big, Kane_, she said, unable to shake the feeling that the fact it was bigger must have had something to do with the influence and power of Kane's family. For what her memory genetically inherited from her ancestors could tell, the bigger a Hive was, the more powerful its Queen was, and the more children did she have.

While Kane was entering his 'house', K'tyss curled herself behind a garbage can, it's stench being a good camouflage to anything with a good sense of smell. Her sharp sense didn't miss the sound of footsteps, which made her hide even more desperately, even though the human female who was coming down the street wouldn't be much of a threat to her. Even so, she didn't want to be spotted, first because that would make their situation fairly worse, and also because now that she was going to live under the same roof as Kane, she knew that not all humans deserved to be hosts for her kind or food.

The human female who was coming near, however, caused K'tyss to grit her teeth. She didn't like the feeling she got from her. It reminded her of something unpleasant, but she quietly shook it off. Why should she care about a human female she wouldn't ever see again? However, she started to feel unease when the female stopped in her tracks. K'tyss' senses told her that the woman was staring at Kane' house, and she could her heartbeat grow faster, while some pheromones managed to reach her nose. They were pheromones of arousal, pheromones of lust, and oddly enough, some adrenaline in the smell she could grasp.

The scent caused K'tyss to tense up, and bare her fangs, even if she didn't get out of her hiding. A low growl started to escape her lips, however, it wasn't loud enough to be noticed by the human female, when any member of her own kind would have heard it. The thought brought an evil smile to her lips. Humans were so hopeless! They had poor eyesight, a poor sense of smell, and a poor hearing. It was easy to understand why they had to use devices to support themselves, since that on their own, they weren't a threat for anything, rather a appetizing snack wandering on its own.

The sound of footsteps once again echoed in the supposedly desert street, and the human female walked past K'tyss's hiding spot, showering her in pheromones. The scent of her arousal was overpowering nearly anything else, leaving only the scent of adrenaline, which caused the alien girl to twitch. The only time she had sensed adrenaline in a human's scent, rather than the smell of fear, was with a big male who saw her as something funny, and tried to grab her, as if she was a toy for him. Of course, when he had seen his arm torn off easily by the young girl, he started screaming, but she had silenced him pretty well, letting him suffocate in his own blood, and darting away from his arms who were still a threat.

When the odd female left, she heard something opening, and her sister told her it was time to get inside Kane's house. Her sister jumped swiftly from her hiding place to the inside, not even allowing the leaves to move, as if she was merely a shadow in the night. K'tyss, rather than climbing to a tree, decided to use the house's wall instead, and crawled over the surface as if it was the easiest thing on Earth, as silent as ever. In a few seconds, she was inside Kane's room, her senses telling her that the place was safe. The scent of the young man, something slightly similar to the one of her own kind soothed her, making her feel at home for the first time in ages. Her sister seemed to feel the same way, as her posture was relaxed, and K'tyss felt that for that alone, Kane was to be thanked, since the number of times she had seen her that relaxed was more than little, it was nonexistent. Not ever once had she seen her sister be relaxed enough to allow herself to wander around like she didn't care about a thing.

The sound of footsteps hurriedly coming near caught her attention, and a loud knock startled Kane, who looked to her sister and herself, before rushing to a door, opening it, and telling them to hurry inside. His fear being obvious, both of his guests hurried inside the new room, and tried not to make the slightest noise, while he closed the door, and hurried to open his room's lock.

Listening carefully, K'tyss and Stryss heard the footsteps of someone entering Kane's room. It was a human female, and she was obviously pissed, that much they could tell, since her voice raised to abnormal proportions, while her scent carried the smell of a vanishing fear, and the adrenaline of a new anger. She screamed for a while, sometimes taking a pause to breathe, apparently scolding Kane, though neither of the two did really understand what she said.

After a while, she finished, and leaving the room, she slammed the door. The only sound left was Kane's breathing, the noise of something being closed, and then the bathroom's door opened on the young man's face, who smiled to them.

_Well, sorry about that. My mother can be pretty scary sometimes._

* * *

Before finishing this chapter, I'd like to thank Xenomorpher and FtDLulz for their reviews, as well as all the anonymous viewers who read this sory.

WARNING: the next few chapters'll be mostly, and maybe even entirely without action (I'll use them too deepen the bond between Kane and his guests, as well as I'll try to get them to know more about each other(**yeah, WE know what xenomorphs are like, but remember Kane doesn't have the slightiest idea about how they reproduce, behave, or even think)**)

As usual, I'll upload the next chapter around next Sunday, so hang on until then.

Before I forget, I found images that inspired me for the characters here:

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	4. Chapter 4-A new day

##Hello there! Here comes you weekly chapter! Happy halloween, even if it's a bit late!##

##I don't own Alien, Predator nor AVP##

04

A new day

**Kane POV**

It was morning, and although birds were still singing, outside it was still night, and darkness covered the world. The sky was hidden behind dark clouds traveling slowly, pushed by the wind, and in itself, it was clearly something indicating the future winter to come, with the frozen grass that stood still around the house.

Kane, who was comfortably sleeping in his bed under his sheets, was in heaven. That is, until he tried to turn himself and bumped into something hard, which caused him to awake. Still sleepy, he stared blankly to the thing he bumped into, while his brain was doing its best to finish waking up AND understand what happened. For a while, Kane watched the thing, unable to understand what it was and why it was here, with his mind clouded and still half-asleep.

Finally, after a few minutes, his thoughts started to become clearer, and the answer as to what it was that he bumped into made its way to his mind. He wanted to scream, but remembering that it would wake his family up, he stopped himself, but tried to move back, only to bump into something else, which hissed, displeased.

Slowly turning to it, Kane found himself face-to-face with Stryss, who was apparently awake, and obviously displeased to be disturbed like that. While he knew that she wouldn't do anything to him, it was still frightening to see the face of someone he would have considered like a monster only two days ago so near of his own. Her sharp teeth did nothing to help his heartbeats to slow down, since he remembered how fast she had eaten the meat he stole from the fridge to feed the two starving aliens.

_Uh, hello there. Did you sleep well?_ Kane asked, trying to understand why the alien was in a fool mood, since his senses told him that she was quite angry.

_Me did. But K'tyss go in your bed, so me wonder why._

_Uhh, in fact, I'd like to know that too. I thought you didn't want to sleep in my bed, when I asked you, you told me that the ground was more than enough._

Stryss came closer to Kane, who could tell that the alien was staring at him quite intently.

_You sure you do nothing to K'tyss?_

_Of course I'm sure! Look, you were here too, weren't you? So how do you expect me to have done anything if you were watching the whole time?!_

_Sister, if you wanted to know you could have asked me instead._

Both Kane and Stryss turned themselves to see that K'tyss was awake, and for some reason, was holding the young man's left arm. Kane tried to keep his cool, which was still easier said than done.

_May I know what you're doing?_

_Well, I've never been able to stay close to a living human before, so I'm curious about how your skin feels._ The way she said 'living' and insisted on it sent chills down Kane's back. Now he didn't really want to know about her past.

_Well, I'm happy you feel close enough to me to do this kind of thing, but I'd prefer it if you could avoid doing that. We human males tend to start imagining things when cute girls do that. Even if it's alien girls._

K'tyss frowned over hearing that.

_What is this 'cute' thing you keep saying?_

Kane nearly had an attack when he heard the question. He wasn't really sure as how to answer, since he could feel the angry stare from Stryss on his back. The alien was clearly displeased that her sister was giving so much attention to him, and he really didn't want to be on her bad side. On the other hand, he kind of knew that K'tyss would be able to tell if he was saying the truth or not. _Oh well, _he thought.

_You see, 'cute', is a word we humans use when we speak about someone who's pretty, or at least that we see as pretty._

_What is 'pretty'?_ K'tyss asked, more and more confused. Apparently she did not know what 'pretty' meant either.

_You don't know what 'pretty', means? Eh, then how am I supposed to explain it to you? Well...When you see something or someone that you like, you say it's pretty._

K'tyss tilted her head.

_So, when I see meat, I can say it's pretty?_

Kane chuckled. The young woman seemed to be completely ignorant of some things that humans found obvious.

_No, not really. You say that something's pretty when you like how it looks. Of course, it all depends on what you like to see. If you like to look at the sky, you can say it's pretty._

K'tyss looked like she was having a hard time. Obviously, what Kane had just told her was hard for her to understand.

_So, you mean that you like to see me?_ she asked Kane.

_Eh? _ The young man said, looking as if he had been hit by a truck. He had expected her to forget about what he said and focus on the learning, which was not exactly what she was doing right now.

_You said that pretty and cute had the same meaning, and that pretty was for when you liked to see someone?_

_He did._ Stryss was still angry, but a little less apparently. Maybe the fact he complimented her sister pleased her as well?

_Err, I guess you can put it that way._

Uneasy under the stares of both the girl and the alien, he got up and stretched before looking to his alarm clock, and sighed when he saw it was only eight. They were on Saturday, so he didn't have to bother getting up early, but with his guests, he couldn't exactly wake up late. What if his mother was to enter his room? She never did it before, but that didn't mean that she would never do it. And Kane wasn't really ready to make a gamble.

Deciding that a shower would help him to clear his still sleepy body, he went to the bathroom, and turned to his guests.

_I'll take a shower, so feel free to look around my room, but don't go anywhere or break anything, okay?_

Seeing that both of them got the message, he closed the door, and undressed, taking off both his clothes and his bandages, leaving himself with only his boxers on. That was when he remembered he didn't take his clothes, so he opened the door, went to his dressing, and took what he needed, before recalling that he was only in his boxers, and that there was at least one human-like girl in his bedroom. Turning to see what she was doing, he found that she was staring at him, a smile on her face.

Blushing to his ears, Kane hurriedly took his clothes and shut the door.

**K'tyss POV**

K'tyss was confused. When she went to sleep, Kane had asked her sister and her if they wanted to sleep in his bed while he would use a sleeping bag, but since they never had slept on a bed, they told him that the ground was fine. Then why was she in his bed, along with her sister? She remembered getting up, and coming in the bed to see Kane's face while he was sleeping, since she never had the chance to observe a human's sleep. For a few hours, she watched him sleep, turn and twitch with interest, but she gradually grew tired, and deciding that the bed was as good as anywhere else to sleep, she had let herself succumb to the call of slumber.

A bump in her side awakened her a few hours later, and she found Kane staring quite stupidly to her back. He looked quite out of it, but gradually, and much to her amusement, his face started to show signs of surprise. It was the first time she had seen a human's facial expressions change so slowly, and it was quite funny. However, she frowned when the young man moved back to bump into her sister. Was she that scary?

From where she was, she could see that Stryss was quite angry, but she didn't know why. Neither Kane or herself had done anything to anger her, so she had no reason to be angry. She could hear them talking, and she felt a little left out, so she decided to butt in.

_Sister, if you wanted to know you could have asked me instead._

Both her sister and Kane turned to her, and when Kane found out that she was holding his arm, his face took a rather interesting color, although she couldn't say what it was, since her kind was color-blind. But even if she could not say what color the young man's face had taken, only seeing his expression nearly made her giggle. She stopped just before letting her laughter slip. What was happening? She never had been one to laugh that easily.

Before she could understand what was happening, she heard Kane, who was obviously nervous.

_May I know what you're doing?_

_Well, I've never been able to stay close to a living human before,_ she answered. Well, it was true. The only living humans she had been near to were only preys destined to feed her or hostile beings that had to be eliminated.

_Well, I'm happy you feel close enough to me to do this kind of thing, but I'd prefer it if you could avoid doing that. We human males tend to start imagining things when cute girls do that. Even if it's alien girls._

Once again, Kane had used a word she didn't understand. What was this 'cute' thing he kept calling her? She had never heard it before, and that bothered her. So she kept asking him until he finally gave her an answer, even if it wasn't what she had expected. It only served to make her more suspicious. Why was he complimenting her? And **why **did he look so nervous when he left to take a shower? And what was a shower anyway?

Hearing the door opening again, she saw Kane come back, half-naked, with only one of those second skins human wore to protect themselves from the cold on. She could see his bare, human skin, with his muscles moving in a fascinating way under it. While it wasn't the first time she had seen a human wearing nothing on his chest, this time she didn't react the same way. While she would habitually start drooling from the sight of such appetizing meat, this time she felt like she was seeing something interesting, something private.

She noticed that Kane had stopped to turn to her, and she smiled to him. Much to her amusement, he seemed to get even more nervous than previously, and hurried back to what he called a 'bathroom'.

_You seem to have fun,_ her sister said, in an unusually low voice. _I can't see what this human-_

_Kane, _K'tyss corrected her sister. He had made the effort to use their names, so the least they could do was to show him the same courtesy.

_I can't see why you find Kane that interesting. Indeed, he is different from the humans we have known, but I don't think he is that much apart from the others. Not to say, we only met him yesterday. We should be more cautious._

K'tyss frown. If she hadn't known her sister, she'd have thought that she was pouting.

_Not interesting? Not only did he help me instead of fleeing in fear, but his arms mutated to look like ours! Don't tell me you aren't even interested in why and how he changed after we tried to heal his injuries?_

Stryss hissed loudly.

_Of course I am! I only wanted to say that we can't trust him yet! How can we know that he doesn't plan to get rid of us when won't be of use anymore?_

_I don't know! But now's not the time to argue about that! If you wanted to say it, you should've done it yesterday, before we came here! Besides, nobody forced us to come. We could easily have declined if we wanted to._

Stryss hissed again, faintly.

_I know that! But we should remember why we are here, before getting too comfortable with this kind of life. I've had enough bad memories...I don't want to lose you because I wasn't careful. I wouldn't allow it._

K'tyss gave her sister a sad yet comprehensive look.

_I know. We've been through so much...But now we're free! We don't have to bear it anymore!_

_I wish it would be that simple...But I'll only feel safe after a very, very long time without seeing __**him**__._

When her sister mentioned **him**, K'tyss shivered in fear and repulsion. She didn't want to remember his face nor anything that had to do with him.

Stryss sensed her sister's distress and rubbed her chin against her in a comforting manner. They were sisters, and they would always be close, even if now Kane was starting to turn their world upside-down without even noticing it.

Speaking of the wolf... Kane had just finished to take his shower, and coming back into his room, he found the two sisters staring at each other. K'tyss noticed him, though, and crawled out of the bed to come closer to him, staring intently to his arms, and smelling him before backing off with a disgusted grin.

_You stink! What did you do?_

Kane stared at her blankly. Being told that he stank, even after he took a shower, was something he was not really used to.

_I took a shower. What the hell do you mean by 'stink', anyway? I made sure to wash myself properly, _he answered.

_Your smell is way too strong, and it's not a natural smell. I can't even sense your usual scent, it's covered by that unnatural thing. Why do you want to be a flower when you're human?_

**Kane POV**

While he was taking his shower, Kane took his time to examine his new arms. They were surprisingly thin, yet extremely strong, he had witnessed it while hitting that tree the previous evening. His fingers were longer, and way thinner, which made them look like giant spiders. His nails were now sharp claws, and he had the feeling that they were extremely resistant, but he didn't want to try them on anything in his house. He took note to try them later, were nobody would see him.

His new sight was also quite something. He could see the figures of K'tyss and Stryss in his bedroom, and he could even see his sister's sleeping form. He wasn't surprised not to see his parents, since they were often called for emergencies on weekends.

While he showered, he wondered what would his life be like starting from that day, now that he wasn't really human anymore. First, he would make sure to tell Stryss and K'tyss to follow some basic rules, for both their safety and his. Second, he would have to wear surgical bands around his arms whenever someone might see him, and keep his eyes closed so that no one would notice his now pitch-black eyes.

Sighing, he stopped the water and got out of the shower. He then put surgical bands around his arms and hands, and after he had made sure that not even an inch of his skin could be seen, he put on his black shirt and pants. Checking himself one last time, and deciding it was enough, he opened the door of the bathroom, and went back to his bedroom.

There, K'tyss, who was apparently having a mental discussion with her sister, noticed him and in a few seconds, she was only inches away from him. He didn't really like to see her this close, since he was used to being avoided by most, and it was quite unsettling to have someone stare so obviously at him. Again, she smelled him all over. This was happening so much lately that Kane was really starting to believe it was some kind of habit for her, since Stryss didn't do it.

When she moved back, he felt relieved, and at the same time, a little pained. He had been through so much by helping them, yet they were obviously still wary of him. He himself should have been careful about them, but for some reason, he knew that as long as he wouldn't threaten them in any way, they would not do anything to him.

_You stink! What did you do?_ K'tyss told him, with her nose twitching.

Blinking a few times, Kane had to process what she just told him. He had taken a shower to make sure he _wouldn't_ stink.

_I took a shower. What the hell do you mean by 'stink', anyway? I made sure to wash myself properly,_ he answered, half-confused and half-angry.

K'tyss looked at him as if he was stupid.

_Your smell is way too strong, and it's not a natural smell. I can't even sense your usual scent, it's covered by that unnatural thing. Why do you want to be a flower when you're human?_

Kane started to understand. To humans, bodily scents were signs of a bad lifestyle, and had to be covered by whatever they could -soap, deodorant, perfume-, whatever would cover these smells. But in K'tyss' case, who wasn't human, or at least partly, bodily scents were normal. Instead, covering his own natural smell by perfumed soap was what was unnatural to her, and if she had been able to smell his ordinary scent, then the artificial perfume must had been way too strong.

_Well, it's not that I want to be a flower. But in human society, smelling sweat or any other bodily scent is something that's not really tolerated in most cases. So that's why we cover it with artificial scents._

Now, both K'tyss and Stryss were interested. They were both quite curious about such things, since they were completely ignorant about human society, and what Kane just told them was a total mystery to them.

_Why would anyone want to reek of flower's scents? Even if you like it, it's way too strong!_

Kane shrugged.

_Well, most of us have a poor sense of smell, so for us it's not that bad. Besides, it's not as if we think much about it. It's more like a habit imprinted since our childhood, so we don't pay it any mind._

Sighing, he got to his desk and took out a notebook and a pen.

_Now, since I've answered some of your questions, I'd like you to answer a few of mine._

Both of them looked surprised, and for a slight second, a scared expression showed on K'tyss face, but then it quickly disappeared. However, Kane noticed it.

_Is something the matter?_

Stryss approached him, and much to his discomfort, grabbed him by the shoulders, causing him to fall from his chair.

_What was that for?!_ Kane asked angrily.

_You sure you want know us more? After no turning back._

Kane had to take a few seconds to process what she had just said.

_Well, it ain't as if I had a choice. I'm the one who took you two here, and I now have two arms to remember that I'm not a normal human anymore. But anyway, regardless of what happened, do you really think I'd leave you like that? I may be human, but don't you dare think I'm the kind of guy who's only interested in himself. I want to help you, dammit! Is it that difficult to understand? Besides,_ he added, with a little sadness in his voice, _humans don't really like people different from themselves, so from the start I wasn't really accepted by people outside of my family. Even now, I can't really say I'm the most popular guy in my class. I don't know what you two think, but it's the first time I ever brought someone home with me._

K'tyss and Stryss looked surprised.

_I know you may think I'm a bother, or a potential threat, or whatever, and I don't really care. All I want is to know more about you, as much as you want to know more about humans. So if it's okay with you, I'd like to at least make things clear: I'll answer your questions, but I'd like you to answer mine. It's not that bad of a deal, isn't it?_

The alien turned to K'tyss, and after a few seconds, she stood up, and pulled Kane with her.

_Sorry._

_Don't sweat it. For the little I've seen since yesterday, I can at least say that life wasn't that easy for you. So, how about the deal?_

K'tyss smiled, and Stryss purred.

_Of course we agree._

* * *

**__Before I end this chapter, I want to thank those who took the time to review, as well as every single anonymous reader. Thank you for your support!**


	5. Chapter 5-An instructive discussion

##Hello! Here comes a new chapter! Please consider it as a Halloween present( even if it's not that scary though...)##

##I do not own Alien, Predator, nor AVP##

05

An instructive discussion

**Kane POV**

After making sure that his sister was still in her bedroom, Kane managed to get downstairs without a single noise. He then sneaked into the kitchen, and after he took some cookies for himself, he opened the fridge, looking for some meat, since his guests asked some. He managed to find some ham and leftover steaks, which he took with him to his bedroom, being extremely cautious not to wake up the other person in the house, since it would have been difficult to explain why he was bringing steaks to his bedroom : "Yeah, didn't I tell you? I have a craving for raw steaks every now and then. What, you don't believe me?"

With a sigh of relief, he closed the door, locked it, and turned to his guests. Now that things were a little more peaceful, he could take his time observing them. Since the day before everything was way too hectic, he hadn't taken the time to properly examine his new friends.

K'tyss, who was currently looking to his books, had her body covered by a dark green exoskeleton, leaving only a few areas bare, for example, and much to Kane discomfort, her chest, her neck and her face, with a part of her back also lacking its protection. When she turned to him, he saw that the day before he had made a mistake: he had thought that she was older than him, but now that he could see her face in broad daylight, he noticed that she may had been even younger than him, or at least the same age. She had dark hair which fell on both sides of her face, while on top of her head, a part of exoskeleton divided her hair in two, with the part behind looking more like smooth dreadlocks.

Stryss, for her part, was staring at his desk. Her smooth, bean-shaped head was what disturbed Kane the most. It wasn't really difficult to target it, so in a fight, it might be more of a hindrance than an advantage. Her whole body was covered by the dark exoskeleton he was now starting to be used to, and on her back, some strange tubes protruded. Her hands were different from her sister's, giving that she only had four fingers, one on each side of her hands, and two on the top, each one finished by the same claws that Kane had hidden beneath his bandages. To finish the picture, her hind legs were shaped like the ones he knew some carnivorous dinosaurs had, and a long tail, finished by a deadly sharp blade was curled around her.

_Here's the breakfast. I hope you'll enjoy it._

Kane only saw two blurred figures before he found his hands emptied of the meat he had taken in the kitchen, while his guests were properly ripping apart pieces of steak and swallowing them with contented noises.

_Well, if you don't like meat, I'll give you something else, _he said, hoping that they would understand the sarcasm. Unfortunately, both of them were too busy eating to bother answering him.

_Well, whatever, _he thought, sitting down against the door and eating the cookies he still had in his hands.

After a while, he saw that his friends were finished with eating, and were sitting down, K'tyss imitating him, although she had to wrap her tail around herself, while Stryss was sitting more like a dog, on all fours, with her deadly tail wagging around slowly.

_So, how about a little chat, now that we've eaten?_ suggested Kane, getting to his desk and taking his notebook. He ripped off the first pages, covered with scribbles made when he was still learning how to write, an ability he kept secret from others: how would he be able to explain he was able to see the letters since he was supposed to be blind?

_So, since we've agreed to answer each other's questions, why don't we do it like this: you ask me something, I answer, and then I am the one to ask? It should be pretty fair that way, don't you think?_

The two aliens nodded.

_Then I start,_ Stryss said, with her lips curving into a smile. _How humans live?_

_Wait! Before we start, I just remembered I wanted to ask you something, but not related to our conversation. I've been wondering, but K'tyss makes more human-like sentences, and so I understand what she means better than when you're the one talking..._

Stryss hissed, displeased. Her tail, which was still wagging, started to dart dangerously close to Kane's face.

_You mean me stupid?!_

_Wow wow wow! Wait a second! I never said anything like that! I've been wondering why we can understand each other to begin with, that's all! I mean, it's not like you learned English before coming here, right? So how can I understand what you say, even so little, and the other way around?_

Stryss calmed down, apparently understanding his point.

_True. We did not know that English you speak about before coming here. What is English, anyway? _K'tyss asked, her pretty face contorted in a thoughtful expression.

_It's a language. I don't know how your kind works, but humans communicate through different type of speech, which we call 'languages'. English is one of them, that is used by most people at some level._

_So, we use same language you use, without we know it?_ Stryss asked.

_Yeah. But for some reason, you're sister is using it right, while your way of speaking is...well...like a child learning. Not that I mean you're stupid, but it's more difficult for me to understand what you mean._

Both aliens looked at each other.

_Humans we seen before not speak._

_Sorry, can you try again? I didn't get it?_

_Me say that humans we seen before not speak! _Stryss hissed, still sitting.

_So you mean that none of the humans you have seen before ever spoke? You didn't have a chat with even one of them?_

_True. But did with you._ K'tyss said, while looking the ceiling, apparently bored.

Kane hung his head, discouraged.

_Ugh...We can't say anything since I don't know anything about you and the other way around. Well, maybe I understand K'tyss more easily because she is more human-like, so her brain waves may be closer to mine than yours, something like that? By the way, I wanted to ask you, why are you so different from each other? K'tyss, you're physically almost human, while you, Stryss, are way more different from humans, on the outside I mean._

When he heard nothing to answer him, he looked up, only to see K'tyss shaking. She looked pretty shocked, enough to tighten her grip around her legs and to lose control of her tail, which had started to slap violently her legs.

_Urg...Did I say something wrong? _he asked, already guessing the answer.

Stryss started to hiss at him angrily.

_Personal! You no delicacy!_

_Wait._

Kane and Stryss turned to K'tyss who had just spoken up, despite being obviously shaken by whatever was on her mind.

_Wait a second! If you're not comfortable with it, then you don't have to tell me, it's fine! It's totally fine!_ Kane said quickly, not really eager to know if it would hurt K'tyss. He didn't want his tentative to learn more about them to backfire.

_It's fine. We can't just have this haunt us forever...Besides, we know a fair bit about you, but you know nearly nothing about us. It's the least we can do to repay your help._

**K'tyss POV**

K'tyss was shivering. While she was one of the most dangerous predators in the universe, at least partly, she knew human emotions way more vividly than her sister, and it was terrifying. She didn't need to breathe, yet her chest was moving faster and faster, reminding her of her disgusting condition. Without knowing it, Kane had asked something which bothered her way more than he would have been able to imagine, and yet, she was going to answer him. She didn't know what he would think about her when he would know, but she didn't think he'd be the kind of human to let it disturb him, or at least she hoped so.

Gathering her thoughts and her courage, she started to speak, still sitting and holding her legs between her arms.

_I can't be too specific about it, because there's still some things I don't understand, but I'll tell you the main reason I'm like this. Please don't interrupt me while I'm speaking, because I don't think I'll be able to start again for a while._

When she took a glance to Kane, she saw that he was deadly serious, and she could sense his anticipation more strongly than anything else. That helped her to know that he was going to listen seriously, and she started to feel slightly better.

_I told you yesterday that Stryss and myself escaped from somewhere, and it was the truth. You see, what you asked about our physical appearance is right: while we're basically from the same species, we don't really look alike. I don't know what you think, but my sister is way closer to our original breed than me. You may see her more like a monster than myself, but the true monster here isn't her, it's me._

When she started talking, K'tyss clutched her legs even tighter, looking surprisingly human in her behavior.

_You see, our breed is extremely ferocious, and since our ability as killers is without peer, we caught the attention of another species. I don't know how and when, but the only important thing is that they saw us as interesting targets. You see, while the only thing that interests us is to breed and destroy any threat to our kind, this other species was only interested in hunting. To them, we were the ultimate target, a glorious trophy showing their killing skills._

Still speaking, K'tyss got up and walked to Kane. She could see his silent question, and sent him peaceful thoughts while getting down on her knee and taking his head into her hands. The young man was completely lost, but she pressed her head against his, and showed him her memories, bringing a gasp of surprise from him.

_While our true breed was a satisfactory trophy to most, one of these hunters wasn't satisfied. He decided to create a new breed, even more dangerous, by experimenting on us. They apparently hunted humans too, and their ability to surprise them interested this madman. To create his new breed, he started to mix our kind with yours, sometimes adding his own blood to the mix, hoping to see unexpected results. My sister and myself are the result of this crazy experiment._

K'tyss was surprised to find water dripping down her cheeks, but she was too immersed in telling her story to Kane to wonder about it. He, however, looked greatly surprised to see her like this.

_Most of his experiments only became mad monsters, hybrids with no sense of self, only devoted to their basic instincts-killing and eating-, and only a very few of us interested him. Every day, he would make us fight his failed experiments to see how dangerous we were. We had no choice but to kill our brothers and sisters, only to live another day. _

_After some time, only Stryss and myself were left. He then started to experiment on us. He would cut us open to see how long it would take to heal, inject us enhanced diseases to see how long it would take us to get better...It was horrible. I don't even know how I managed not to become insane._

K'tyss was shaking violently. Her unpleasant memories were coming back, memories of dark days, days of madness.

_One day, he didn't show up. Since we had been in the lab for a while, we knew it's basic shape. So we took this opportunity to escape, and after a few tries, we found the thing he called an 'emergency exit', and we got into it, only to feel it starting moving. A while later, it started shaking violently, and a huge shock knocked us out. It was a little later that you found me, when I was trying to carry Stryss away from the crash._

When she finished talking, nobody said a word. K'tyss was still shaking, with water dripping from her eyes, even though she didn't know why, when she sensed something warm. Kane, after she had finished showing him her memories, had gently wrapped his arms around her, and he was patting her head in a comforting manner.

_It's okay now. You're here with me and Stryss, and we would never let anyone harm you while we are still alive, right, Stryss?_

The alien hissed softly, and came closer, rubbing her chin against her sister, and sending her peaceful thoughts. The trio stayed like that, in their own little world, for a undefined time. It could have been a few seconds or a few hours, but they all enjoyed the presence of the others, happy to know that they had found someone who understood them.

Kane then stood up, and looked to K'tyss with a smile.

_By the way, you shouldn't say that you're a monster, you know. First, a monster wouldn't be concerned about the wellbeing of other people like you are, and second, if you were a monster, what would I be, I wonder?_

Saying that, he reflexively rubbed his right arm, reminding K'tyss of his condition. While he was still mainly human, it was true he had gained a few traits from her original species, and to him, K'tyss thought, it may have been more frightening than for her, since while she was born the way she was, he was still human a few hours earlier. Yet, rather than freaking out like she would have expected, he was acting as if nothing had happened. Humans were truly amazing. While most would spend their time screaming and refusing to admit that they weren't human anymore, he simply acknowledged it, and even if must had been disturbing him, he still found time to worry about her.

_Here you are_, Kane told her, bringing her back to reality, while handing her something. It was an odd, square thing, made in the same kind of material than the second skin human wore.

Seeing that K'tyss didn't know what it was, the young man pressed it against her cheek, wiping off the water which was still flowing on it.

_That's better. I don't really like seeing a girl crying, especially if she's a friend._

_What is crying? _K'tyss asked, curious.

Kane sighted and started explaining.

**Kane POV**

Kane was amazed. In only a few hours, he had learned so much about his guests species it was frightening. He had covered most pages of his notebook with information, yet he felt it was only the beginning. He was learning about a species unknown to most, and from what he had heard, he understood why, since most humans died before learning anything on them, either killed because they were a threat, or used as hosts to birth the new generations. The thought of having two members of such a dangerous species in his own house should have terrified him, yet he didn't feel scared at all. He couldn't imagine his guests threatening him in any way, even though the day before one of them was pretty close to rip him apart. And he knew they were smart enough not to attack his family.

What surprised him, however, was how human K'tyss had looked. When she was showing him her memories, he also saw her pretty face drenched in tears, and that had shaken him. He could easily mistake her for a human, if she didn't have a few peculiarities humans lacked.

When they took a break, after more than a hour of chatting, he thought back on everything he had seen earlier. For some reason, K'tyss was able to show him her memories, which was another thing apparently unprecedented for her kind. Thanks to that, he was able to learn way more about them, since he literally **was **K'tyss when he saw her memories. It had been a disturbing experience for him, and not only because it was the first time he had experienced it.

He hung his head in his hands. As soon as he closed his eyes, the awful experiences his half-human guest had shown him came back. Memories of pain, of sorrow and of hatred. Hatred for a single being, the one who messed up K'tyss and her sister's life, only because he wanted to create a new species to hunt, for his own personal pleasure. Even without feeling his friend's strong hatred for that man, Kane would have despised and hated him for what he had done alone. He had seen what kind of experiment the hunter had made on them, how he had fun tormenting them, starving them, only to force them to kill their brethren and to make them eat his defective experiments.

Kane swore to himself that if that man, hunter, mad scientist, or whatever he could have been called, would show himself before him, he would do whatever it'd take to kill him, making him experience hell on Earth before letting him die.

However, another thing was bugging him: his new friends had told him how their kind reproduced, and even if it was something that was natural to them, he still shivered to the thought of how dangerous it made them to ordinary humans. He couldn't say he was pleased with this knowledge, as it once again showed how different their world was from his, but he couldn't simply consider them monsters for something they had no choice but to do.

Luckily for him, since neither of them could reproduce yet, he was spared the dreadful fear of having a whole nest of aliens here. Still, if it was Stryss who'd become the Queen, then she wouldn't have been much different from the one he had seen in K'tyss' memories. But if it was K'tyss who'd become the Queen, then would she have the same kind of reproductive system than the others? Since she was an hybrid with both alien and human DNA, then there was a possibility that her reproductive system would be closer to the human one than the alien one.

As he stood up to stretch, he decided not to bother himself with this kind of reflection now, and to wait until he had enough information about them. As he yawned loudly, the sound of footsteps coming closer came to his ears, quickly followed by two knocks on his door.

- Kane, are you up? I heard you yawning., a girlish voice said through the door.

_Holy crap! I didn't think she'd come to check on me this early! _Kane thought out loud.

Turning to the sisters, he told them to hide, while he hurriedly picked up everything that could have indicated that he wasn't alone in his room, namely the dishes that contained the meat he brought to his friends, as well as the various books he had used to show his guests a few things about human life.

Throwing them under his bed, he made sure that his arms were hidden under surgical bandages, and that he had his eyes closed, before going to the door, glancing to the opening of his cupboard's doors. Thanks to his "2.0 vision" like he called it, he could see that the sisters were hiding inside. A last check-up, and he went to open the door. It had been nineteen seconds since his sister called him.

* * *

**For those who want some action, don't worry. It'll come soon. I hope you'll enjoy the story until then.**


	6. Chapter 6-Family

##Here you are again! This chapter is without much action, but don't worry, the next few chapters should be a little more action-turned##

##I do not own the Alien, Predator, or AVP franchise##

06

Family

**Kane POV**

Opening the door, Kane found himself face-to-face with a girl a little younger than himself. Well, face-to-face wasn't really exact, it was more "face-to-hair", since his sister was smaller than him.

-Are you gonna let me in, or do you plan to let me stay here like an idiot?

-Always diplomatic, I see. Fine, come in.

As he stepped aside, she noticed his bandaged arms, and a look of panic showed on her face. Before he could do anything, she had grabbed his left arm, and the only thing he could do was withdraw it from her grip as fast as he could, hoping that she didn't feel the hard exoskeleton underneath.

-What happened to your arm?! To both your arms? Are you hurt, are you in pain? she started to shout louder and louder.

-I'm okay! They simply felt a little sore this morning, so I applied some cream. Don't freak out for something like this. Seriously, Kathryn.

-Are you sure you're okay? she asked, trying to see if he was lying. And why do you keep your eyes closed?

-Like I said, I'm okay, don't worry. As for my eyes, it doesn't really matter if I keep them closed, don't you think? It's not as if I could see anything anyway.

A pained look from his sister surprised Kane, but it disappeared before he could ask anything, and he couldn't ask about it, since he wasn't supposed to be able to see it.

-I know you're blind, but I like to see your eyes, even if they can't see anything.

-Well, it's easier for me that way, so can you go with it for today, at least? he asked, ruffling her hair.

A pleased moan came from his sister's lips, and she couldn't help but smile.

-Fine. But in exchange, you're gonna let me comb your hair today!

-Agreed. So come in. Like I said, my arms are feeling sore, so I'm getting tired of keeping the door open.

Having completely forgotten about his arms and eyes, she entered his room, humming peacefully. _Well, that was easier than I thought it would be. I should be careful though, today's only the first day, but not the last were I'll have to fool her, _Kane thought. He didn't like the idea of deceiving her, yet it wasn't as if he had a choice. He didn't want to involve his sister any further that he already had by bringing his friends home. What she didn't know couldn't her hurt her, and he did NOT want her to be worried, scared, or anything like that. Even if he was "blind", he was still her older brother, and his role was to protect her. She was his only family, their parents never being home meant to him that it their family was only his sister and himself.

He could see her coming back from the bathroom with his comb in her hand, and she dragged him to his bed, making him sit before her, as she combed his long, dark hair with experienced moves.

- Are you fine with this? he asked after a few minutes. I mean, you're sixteen now, you have friends, so why do you bother staying with me on Saturdays, while you could go out and have fun?

-What are you talking about?, she said, still combing his hair slowly and carefully. I'm here because I want to, so don't worry. Besides, I can hang out with them anytime I want after classes.

Kane sighed. It was the same as always. For some odd reason, she was always taking care of him instead of having fun, which bothered him. She was now of age to have an interest in the opposite sex, a boyfriend, yet she didn't even hang out with her classmates.

-Yes, you **can**, but you don't **do** it. When was the last time you went with them instead of coming home with me?

-You want me to stop coming home with you? she asked in a low voice, with a hint of sadness, combing his hair even more slowly.

He nervously rubbed his neck out of habit. He wasn't really fond of this kind of conversation, since she always looked depressed at some point, and he didn't want to pain her if he could avoid it. He tried his best to make it seem as if he didn't notice her sudden change of tone:

-Look, it's not that I don't like it, but you should start worrying more about yourself than me. I don't want you to miss the best moments of your life simply because you're taking care of me. I'm seventeen now, so I can take care of myself, even if I can't drive a car, you know? Besides, I'd really be an ass to keep the "Ice Queen" for myself, when she has so many boys dying to ask her out, don't you think?

His sister blushed when he used the nickname she was given in high school. She was pretty famous, Kane had been told, because even if she was one of the top-ranking girls in her grade, with both great looks and good grades, she always rejected flatly whoever asked her out, was it boys, or sometimes girls. When she did that, however, she always made sure to apologize properly to the person asking her out, and she always kept the private details about them secret, which earned her the respect of most students.

-Wh-wh-where di-did you learn that?! she asked, instantly starting to comb his hair stronger.

-Ow ow ow! My hair, my hair, it's coming off!

-S-s-sorry! I didn't mean to do it that strong! she apologized, slowing down.

For a few minutes, there was an awkward silence, before Kane spoke up again. He couldn't leave things as they were, after all, the only thing that mattered to him was that she was happy, even if it meant that she was apart from him.

-Listen, I'm not telling you to leave me alone and to never come close to me again, what I'm saying is that even if I'm blind, I can manage things even if you're not here, so please, at least try to enjoy some time with your friends.

_Besides, it's not like I can stay here way longer in my current state,_ he added to himself. _Sooner or later, I'll be discovered and I'll need to flee. Hopefully, it'll be the latter. _He knew full well that one day, he would be found out, since he couldn't hope to hide his new physical features at all times, so he had to give his sister the push she needed to start a "normal" teenage life. The more she would stay close to him, the more hurt she would be when she'd find out the truth. So even if it was painful to him, he had to make sure she'd make good friends, who'd able to support her at all times.

His sister's satisfied voice brought him back to reality:

-Finished! Now, turn around, so that I can see how good you look.

Obediently turning around, Kane took his time observing his sister's figure. She was of average height, with a slender body, and she had a great physique. It was no wonder many boys and even girls wanted to go out with her. He didn't know her three sizes, and he didn't really care, since she was his sister, so he didn't see her _that_ way. But he knew that anyone else would see her as for what she was: a kind beauty, caring for her blind brother. She had silky long hair falling down to her shoulders, as well as a beautiful face, her dark eyes giving a kind watch to her surroundings. She was just the embodiment of any teenager's dream: a beautiful, intelligent and caring girl. She wasn't one of those great-looking airheads called cheerleaders, rather the popular, yet calm and quiet type.

She was now looking at him, humming, and correcting what she had just done, combing his hair so that it would look good on him, even if he really didn't care. She was wearing her usual pajamas, with long sleeves and a floral design imprinted, yet he couldn't tell her how great she looked, since he wasn't even supposed to see. Instead, he choose to pat her head, which she responded to by letting out a pleased giggle. She then grabbed his left arm and pulled him down, resulting in Kane laying on his back with his sister laying on his left side and still holding onto his arm, much to his discomfort. He was well aware that if he was to pull his arm out of his sister's embrace, she would feel hurt, and he didn't want that. On the other hand, she would probably feel what was under his bandages, and he refused to tell her what he was now.

To avoid being found out and hurt his precious little sister, he chose the third option: freeing his arm, he then proceeded to tickle his sister, who was weak against such aggressions. She started to laugh uncontrollably, as he continued his tickling, an evil grin on his face.

- Sooo, this little girl doesn't want to let go of her brother, hmmm? She needs to be punished! Take this, and this! TICKLING FESTIVAL!

His sister laughter began to become even louder and high-pitched, as tears began to drip from her eyelids.

-HYAHYAHAAHAAA...STOP IT! HAHAHAHA!SERIOUSLY, STOP! HAAHAHAHAAA, I'M GOING TO DIE! CAN'T BREATHE...HEHAHEEE...

Finally releasing a panting sister from his tickling, Kane chuckled. He didn't know if all sisters were like his, but he was glad to have her. With their parents more and more absent over the years, he had come to consider that his family was made only of his sister and himself.

When they were young, one day Kathryn had accidently broken a vase their parents were really fond of. She was only five, Kane six, and they both knew their parents were going to be really mad. She had started crying, knowing she would be punished, but when their mother had come to see what happened and asked who broke the vase, already ready to deliver her punishment upon the responsible, Kane had looked at her:

-Sorry, Mom. Didn't see it. Sorry, didn't want to break it.

Kathryn had stopped crying to look at him dumbfounded, but he simply stared to his mother, his stick in his right hand. He only got a good lecture about how he should be careful, even at home, and then got back to his bedroom, to find Kathryn sitting on his bed. She had given him a strawberry cake, her favorite, and after hugging him, she had left his room.

Ever since that day, she had been way closer to him than before, and from time to time, when he accused himself of things she had done, she would only get closer to him. It wasn't really that he wanted to cover her, rather to be a good older brother, since in his state, he couldn't do much more to fulfill his role as the eldest.

Snapping back to reality, Kane looked at his sister, still laying on his bed, breathing heavily after all the tickling he had done. Her pajamas were half-open, letting him see her bare stomach, and the dark hue of her face was quite cute to Kane. Somewhere inside his mind, a little voice told him that many of her classmates would be able to die happily after such a view.

_You look like you're having fun._ a familiar voice noted, causing him to stand still. Obviously, K'tyss was quietly looking at him, and she wasn't really pleased, yet he didn't know if it was because he was spending time with his sister, or because she was uncomfortable in his cupboard.

_Well, I guess you can say that. Want me to tell her to go back?_

_Wouldn't it be strange to do it? She's your sister._

_Yeah, I know, but...Well, don't you feel uncomfortable in my cupboard? I know it's quite big, but still..._

Kane heard a loud purr in his head.

_We've been in far worse places, so don't worry. Spend some time with your family._

_Thanks._

After chatting with Kathryn for a few hours, only stopping to take a quick meal (Kane made sure to keep some meat for his guests when his sister wasn't around), they eventually parted, Kathryn going back to her bedroom to read, while Kane went to get the meat for the sisters. He mentally noticed he would have to find a way to get them food without taking it from the fridge, since it would be hard to keep it secret from his family.

He watched the sisters quickly eat their meal, noticing he felt the same way when he watched his sister. He felt disturbed by the thought: was he already considering them a part of his family, or was he considering himself a part of _their_s?

K'tyss sensed his unease, and turned to him, still licking her lips and fingers of the blood left on them, since she ate her meat raw. It would have been quite lewd for any other boy, but knowing that the girl was able to rip you apart on a whim was enough to make you forget it.

_Is there a problem?_

_Well, can you promise me you won't be mad?_

K'tyss frowned.

_Of course not. So, can you answer me?_

_Oh, whatever. Well, I was thinking about how I felt like you and K'tyss were a part of my family...or how I thought of myself as a part of yours, I don't really know which way I should put it._

The two aliens looked at him in disbelief (well, K'tyss did, for Stryss, it was more that she turned to him with her mouth half-open).

_Errr, ok...I guess that was...wrong to think that way..._

His guests were still staring, and Kane was starting to feel uncomfortable.

_Forget it! Forget that, erase everything I just said from your mind!_

They were still staring...

**K'tyss POV**

When Kane opened his door to his sister, K'tyss felt her scent rush inside the room like a storm. She was expecting it to resemble Kane's scent, something not too far from her kind scent, but she never would have expected it to be so...appetizing. To her, and to her sister, it was almost as if they were right before the most delicious meal they could ever possibly have, and they had to remember that they had promised Kane to stay put for the time being, or else they would have stormed inside the room and killed her.

To forget about this scent, K'tyss turned to her sister:

_How can she smell so different from Kane? Aren't they supposed to be siblings?_

_I don't know, but I'm happy to see I'm not the only one thinking about how good she smells..._Stryss said, her drool falling from her mouth.

_While we're at it, why do you think Kane's scent resemble ours? I mean, now it's obvious, he's starting to become something like me. But he had that kind of familiar smell from the start, don't you remember?_

Stryss tried to remember, and after a few seconds:

_True. It was faint, but it was unmistakably our kind's scent. The question, as you say, is to know how a human could smell like us, even so little._

A loud sound made them both turn back to see Kane doing something to his sister, who was screaming louder and louder, yet not in a scared way, rather a pleased started to scream even louder, much to the sisters' displeasure. They were used to hear humans screaming, but fortunately, they had always stopped rather brutally, when they had their chest pierced by a sharp tail, or their head properly separated from their body.

_You look like you're having fun,_ K'tyss said, causing Kane to stand as still as a statue.

_Well, I guess you can say that. Want me to tell her to go back?_ Kane asked, obviously a little sad to send his sister back.

_Wouldn't it be strange to do it? She's your sister,_ K'tyss answered. She knew that familial bonds were important, so she chose to let him have fun with his sister.

_Yeah, I know, but...Well, don't you feel uncomfortable in my cupboard? I know it's quite big, but still..._

K'tyss couldn't help but laugh. Her sister and herself had been in far worse places, for example a certain lab...Kane's cupboard was paradise compared to that.

_We've been in far worse places, so don't worry. Spend some time with your family._

_Thanks._

She could sense Kane relief. Obviously, he was very close to his sister. That made her wonder: how many humans were like him? Caring, even if the person was some alien-human hybrid who had tried to kill them?

She spent the next following hours in the cupboard, observing the two siblings behavior, and sometimes speaking with her sister when they were doing something boring.

Finally, Kane came back alone, with some delicious meat for her sister and herself. She quickly ate her part, wolfishly gulping it down with purrs of pleasure. She was starting to love this new life, doing nothing but speaking, learning, and having someone to take care of her, giving her delicious meals. She was licking her fingers clean, when she noticed that Kane was looking at them rather intently.

_Is there a problem?_

Kane looked surprised, and a feared look showed for a few seconds on his face, before vanishing. Now, K'tyss had noticed it, and she was starting to be curious.

_Well, can you promise me you won't be mad?_

K'tyss frowned. How could she promise something she wasn't even sure she would do?

_Of course not. So, can you answer me?_

Kane looked panicked, but eventually he gave in. She could still feel his fear, though.

_Oh, whatever. Well, I was thinking about how I felt like you and K'tyss were a part of my family...or how I thought of myself as a part of yours._

Hearing that, K'tyss looked at him in complete disbelief. A foreign part of her brain noticed that Stryss was apparently doing the same thing.

_Errr, ok...I guess that was...wrong to think that way..._

K'tyss was still trying to process what he had just told them. He had just said something akin to a verbal nuke, and he looked as if he didn't even realize it!

_Forget it! Forget that, erase everything I just said from your mind!_

Forget? He just said to FORGET the kindest thing anyone had ever told her? He wanted her to damn FORGET that he said something that made her so damn happy? She wasn't going to let him think that way, no way in hell! He had told her something, and she was going to make him take full responsibility for that, oh yes sir!

She leapt on Kane with such speed that he was knocked down, and when he tried to get up, he found her pinning him down. Even if he now had a strength far greater than most humans, she was still way stronger than him, which may have been hard to believe, seeing how small she looked.

Staring into his eyes, his dark eyes, she saw that he was terrified by the idea of having offended her, yet in fact it was quite the contrary. He couldn't know, but K'tyss was actually in pure bliss, since he considered both his sister and herself as a part of his family, and that was something she would never ever have dreamed of. She was starting to feel quite interested in him, as a mate that is. Not that she would tell him anyway. She had her pride, and he still had to show her more of his good sides.

She could see that Kane was doing his best not to turn crimson red, and at the same time not to yell in fear, and it made her chuckle.

_Are you sure you want me to forget what you said? It made me quite happy, so if you want me to forget, I'm afraid I can't._

She stared to Kane with a hungry look, making him swallow a few times in fear.

_If you're happy, may I ask you to let me up now? You look like you're about to eat me, and it's disturbing. It's even frightening, I have to say._

_Only frightening? You look more than only frightened..._

_Well, you're scaring me, and I have your chest in front of my eyes, so I'm feeling quite the emotion mix right now! So can you please let me up, before I end up doing something stupid, like most boys my age would !?_

K'tyss looked at him with a devilish grin. She wasn't about to let him go. There was something she learnt from him earlier that she wanted to try.

_Fine, but I want you to do one thing for me if you want me let you free._

_Anything! So let me go!_ He was going crazy, and she found it funny.

_You'll do anything? Fine._

She smirked.

_If you want to get up, you'll have to h-u-g m-e. I want to know how it feels, since you said it was enjoyable._

Kane made a strangled sound.

_What!? Are you joking!? It's not funny!_

_I'm not joking! Do you want to stay like this for the whole day?_

He sighed, and she smirked again. He couldn't win against her.

_Fine. But first, I'd like you to release my arms._

_N-o w-a-y! I told you that you'd have to hug me if you wanted to get free._

This time, it was Kane's turn to smirk.

_Then, may I ask how you expect me to hug you when I can't even move my arms?_

His comment made K'tyss jump. She hadn't thought about that. Kane took that opportunity to push her back, and in a blink, she felt his arms around her. He was holding her tight, resting his head on her shoulder.

_You have a nice smell, _he whispered in her mind, half-serious and half-teasing. That simple comment shook her more than a thousand words. He was really starting to interest her, that was for sure.

For a little while, none of them spoke, simply indulging in the happiness of having someone they didn't have to hide anything from, someone with whom they were able to be themselves. Then, they felt something rubbing against them, and found Stryss rubbing her chin against their sides. A little flustered, Kane rubbed her bean-shaped head, scratching her chin carefully, which earned him a loud purr of satisfaction.

Somehow, it really felt as if they were family, since both his guests seemed to care for him, at least to some point, and he cared for them, even if they had met only the day before. So much things had happened, it seemed as if he had known them for way longer. Well, it was no use to think about who they were to each other too much, it would only give him a headache, and anyway, the circumstances between them were way too complicated to be understood that easily.

* * *

**Once again, I thank every reader (anonymous or not) of this story! And I would also like to thank the people who took the time to review (especially Xenomorpher, thanks for your support). **

**Next chapter should be out around next week-end.  
**


	7. Chapter 7-Practicing

##Here's this week's chapter! Enjoy##

##I do not own the Alien, Predator, or AVP franchises##

07

Practicing

**Kane POV**

The moon was shining bright in the sky, basking the surroundings in a silver light, but Kane didn't even notice it. His sight allowed him to see the world thanks to a few different things coming together to form a precise image of his surroundings. He didn't know what it would have felt to see through human eyes, but he was fully satisfied with his own. He could see as if it was noon, and unlike humans, his sight allowed him to have a glimpse of what was behind him, which was awfully useful.

He was actually outside of town, with the two sisters having fun in the trees around him. He could see them clearly, and he sensed their happiness of being able to have fun freely. They were in a part of the forest that Kane deemed far enough of the crash to be safe. The last thing he wanted was to be found by the military or some crazy UFO fans.

He had his bandages in his bag, and was currently walking with his arms uncovered. He couldn't help but detail them, check them in every possible way, with an enthusiastic grin plastered on his face. He had waited for the whole day to do this, and it was now the time to enjoy his new abilities.

He finally arrived to a small cliff, a place he had known for some time since it was not too far from his usual jogging path. It was a place he often came to, unknown to most people, which was perfect to test his new arms. He took out a notebook (he had wanted to use a camera, but he obviously didn't have one, so he settled for the notebook), and writing down the date, he started his experiment, while the sisters were still having fun in the trees.

He started by trying his claws against different surfaces, even rock, leaving impressive scars on a few parts of the wall of rock surrounding the area, as if a bear had scarred them instead of trees. His claws were extremely sharp, yet at the same time very tough, not breaking even when he scratched the rock with his full strength. Deciding to try something else, Kane then tried to smash things in his hand, and he managed to change some pebbles into mere dust.

After a while, he asked K'tyss to come.

_Yesterday, when you entered my room, you were crawling on the wall. Can you teach me how I can do it?_

_Don't know. Your arms are like mine, so it should be possible, but since your legs are human ones, I don't think you'll be able to do it as easily as me. But it's definitely worth the try._

Getting to the cliff, she climbed on it as if it was natural to her, quickly reaching its top.

_Well, I don't know if it'll be of use, but I sent you my memories of this climb. Use it as an example of what you should do._

Nodding, Kane closed his eyes and focused on the memories, putting his arms on the cliff, and letting his body do the climbing. He quickly reached an acceptable height, but then his legs gave up under him, making him fall. Startled, he didn't even think of using his arms to grip something.

Hopefully, before he reached the ground, a shadow leapt from a tree and caught him while he was still falling. He hadn't expected Stryss to save him, yet he was glad she did. He wasn't really eager to see if his legs were stronger than before, since if he was wrong, he would have two broken legs to explain to his family, and he didn't want to even imagine how it would go. And if he had to go to the hospital, he would certainly be found out, as a simple physical examination would allow doctors to see that his arms were strange.

_Thanks, Stryss. Without you, I'd be in deep shit right now._

The alien rubbed her head on his chest.

_You welcome. Wouldn't want you to die. Sister would be sad if you were hurt._

Kane laughed half-dejectedly.

_Well, I'm glad that she likes me, but...I'd like to know how __**you **__feel about me. From the beginning, I felt as if you didn't really like me...No, wait. Not as if you didn't like me, more as if you were wary of me. I can understand that: we've met yesterday in some crazy circumstances, and with your life as it was before, you'd be suspicious of anyone. But I really want to get along with both of you._

Stryss grinned.

_Can't say. You interesting, kind, but me don't want to let guard down too early. Sorry._

_You don't have to be. It's already great that you can talk to me casually. Hopefully, we'll learn more about each other over time..._

Kane couldn't finish what he wanted to say, as he had to jump aside to avoid getting knocked out by K'tyss.

_What the hell are you doing?! You want to kill me?_

_If you want to learn, stop speaking and train more! Besides, we don't have much time, since you said that we have only 'two hours' free._

Kane sighed. He didn't have much choice. Besides, he'd have much more time to speak with Stryss later, since the two sisters were living in his room. With a smile to the alien, he rubbed her bean-shaped head and headed to the cliff once again.

_Sorry to leave you like that, but can I ask you to speak with me later? I have a few things I want to discuss with you._

Stryss smiled. Yes, that would have given the creeps to anyone else, but Kane was getting used to it.

_Fine. Have fun and you careful not fall, okay?_

_Of course. I'm not planning to get hurt that easily._

Putting his hands on the cliff, Kane started to climb once again. This time, it went better. He was starting to get the trick, and after a few tries, he managed to do nearly as well as K'tyss, which was quite impressive, getting that:

he had no experience in it.

he only had alien arms, and his legs were merely dead weight.

However, Kane used his legs, who couldn't stick to the cliff surface, as mere propulsion units, using their weight and their trajectory to climb nearly as easily as if they were able to stick to the surface. Of course, he didn't have the silent, quick type of move K'tyss displayed, but rather quick, odd and apparently unpredictable moves, made of small leaps over the cliff surface.

After a while, he managed to chase K'tyss quite well, even though he couldn't reach her, since she was always a few steps ahead. He looked like a giant spider trying to catch another giant spider too fast for him.

Finally, when it became too late to stay anymore, Kane put his bands back, and headed back with the two sisters, who were still having some fun in the trees. In the dark, a human would have freaked out to hear the noises they made by jumping from one tree to another, hissing and purring, since the human sight was definitely not made for night vision. However, since Kane's sight was now closer to the two aliens' one, he could see them even better as if was noon. There figures were easily visible, as were the little nocturnal animals he could spot from afar, as well as the few owls who were flying around.

In the city, the two sisters quietly followed Kane, the enhanced senses of the trio easily allowing them to avoid any unfortunate encounter. A few dogs barked when they sensed them, but a loud hiss was enough to make them shut up and whine in fear.

They made it back to Kane's house without encountering anyone, and they also had managed to avoid the areas with security cameras. However, as Kane once again told them to hide so that he could go and open his window, he noticed that K'tyss was looking around strangely.

_Is something the matter?_

K'tyss didn't bother looking at him, and answered while looking around:

_She was here not long ago..._

**K'tyss POV**

K'tyss was having fun for the first time in her life, enjoying the cold breeze, the sounds of the forest around her, jumping from one tree to another, hanging upside-down with her tail around a branch. She could sense her sister doing the same, and feel her happiness. After long years inside cells and experimental rooms, they were enjoying their new freedom.

Looking around, she saw Kane scratching trees, leaving impressive scars on them, as well as on some rocks. She watched him try his new arms to his heart content, with puzzled emotions. He was obviously enjoying his new abilities, and for what he had told her sister and herself, his life, prior to their crash, wasn't easy either. Sure, he didn't have to cope with a mad scientist and mad experiments trying to kill him, but his loneliness, since he had told them about his 'peculiar sight', was not easy to deal with either. She knew it must had cost him much not to be able to tell anyone, even his younger sister, about his unique traits.

Somehow, she felt a similarity between them. They both were unique in their own way, and would never be accepted for what they were (Kane had been quite clear about how others would perceive his unique features), and neither of them would be able to live without their family. They also both had a very supportive sister, but while Stryss knew all about her sister, Kathryn would never know some really important things about her brother. She could understand why he felt as if they were a family now: none of them was ordinary, and they depended on each other for now.

Kane's voice made her snap out of her daydream.

_K'tyss, can you come here please? I have something I'd like to discuss._

Curious, she leapt from the branch she was sitting on to a nearby rock, before quickly crawling down to Kane's level.

_Yesterday, when you entered my room, you were crawling on the wall. Can you teach me how I can do it?_

She smiled at the idea of the young man desperately trying to stick to a vertical surface like her. To her kind, and to her, it had been easy to learn, since it was an instinctive knowledge, but to him, it should prove to be a real challenge, since he wasn't similar to her enough for her to be able to tell if he was able to do it or not. She chose to answer honestly.

_Don't know. Your arms are like mine, so it should be possible, but since your legs are human ones, I don't think you'll be able to do it as easily as me. But it's definitely worth the try._

Turning to the nearby cliff, she leapt on it and crawled to the top with amazing speed, enjoying herself, before she turned to the tiny-looking Kane. She then sent him how her body remembered the climb, how she climbed, the _feeling_ of how it felt.

_Well, I don't know if it'll be of use, but I sent you my memories of this climb. Use it as an example of what you should do._

She then observed him trying to imitate her, and she was amazed to see him reach an acceptable height before losing foot, but before she could help him, she saw Stryss leap from a tree and catch him easily. She sighed in relief, before noticing what she just did. She was _worrying _about him? Even if he had landed on his own, she doubted he would have been too hurt, since he was carrying a small part of her kind's blood, and they wouldn't be hurt be such a small fall. Then again, he wasn't a complete hybrid like her, he was way more human, and therefore, way more vulnerable. It was easy for her to understand that, since she had hunted a few dozen humans, and some of them simply died on their own, without her even touching them. Humans were a weak species, and the only thing that kept them safe was their brain. Then again, there were quite a few situations where a brain wasn't enough to keep one safe.

Looking down the cliff, she noticed that Kane was having a chat with his sister instead of practicing his climbing, when she had gone out of her way to teach him. Crawling on the cliff, she went down to be close enough to Kane without either him or her sister noticing it, and smirking, she leapt to knock him down, but to her surprise, he managed to dodge at the last second.

_What the hell are you doing?! You want to kill me?_

She was quite displeased that her prank had been for naught, but she quickly shove her frustration away. If he wanted to learn, she would teach him the hard way.

_If you want to learn, stop speaking and train more! Besides, we don't have much time, since you said that we have only 'two hours' free._

Kane sighed, but she could see that he understood her point, which was all that really mattered. After waving to his sister, he once again tried to climb the cliff, improving slightly in his moves.

While she watched him try again and again, K'tyss noticed that he was improving really fast, and after only nine tries, he was already doing nearly perfectly, despite being only a slightly modified human. Even if he wasn't as silent as K'tyss, he was able to move easily on a vertical surface, and rather than crawling, he moved by jumping around, using his arms to stick to the surface, while his legs, which should have been dead weight, were used to give his leaps their impulse.

She then challenged him to catch her, and while no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reach her, he still managed to always be only inches away from her, something only her sister had managed to do until then. She gradually increased her speed, yet he did the same, still managing to stay close to her. He never even touched her, yet it was the first time anyone managed to stay this close while chasing her.

Later, when Kane told them it was time that they go back home, her sister and her followed him, while playing tag in the surrounding trees. They leapt from trunk to trunk, making loud_ intentional_ noises, since that if they wanted, they were able to be completely silent hunters, but it was funnier to do it without even trying to hide their presence. They also hissed loudly, as if they were threatening the other, and had fun playing their games. K'tyss could see that it also amused Kane, since from time to time, she could see him looking back with a wide smile plastered on his face. It was as if he was an older brother watching over his two younger sisters who were having fun.

In the city, her sister and herself simply followed Kane, making detours to avoid what their guide called "security cameras", and managing to avoid an encounter with any human. Their enhanced senses warned them a few times about a nearby passerby, but since they were humans, their poor senses didn't even notice that two aliens and a slightly altered human were nearby. They had no difficulties avoiding them, and they safely returned to Kane's home.

However, as they approached, K'tyss noticed a familiar scent tickling her nose, which caused her to look around to see if the person that left that scent was still around. That human female had been here again, and judging by the smell left, she was still around not too long ago. That smell was starting to annoy her, since for some reason, it made her uneasy. There was something terribly wrong with her, but K'tyss couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. However, she was now fairly sure that the one leaving this scent regularly came by, and judging from what she had seen the day before, she was interested in someone living in the same house as Kane, if not Kane himself. She would have to ask him if there was a female interested in him, since he never mentioned one, and if he had hidden it, then she would have to ask him what exactly was wrong with her.

_Is something the matter?_

Kane had apparently noticed that she was looking around, and it seemed it was bothering him.

_She was here not long ago..._

Kane didn't react at first, but he eventually asked:

_Who was here? Someone you know?_

K'tyss glared at him. How could she have known who was here?! She had already told him that the only people she knew, were the mad scientist she had told him about, her sister, himself, and now, and only by sight, his sister.

_No, it was a human girl. Yesterday, when you left us outside to open your window, there was a human girl who came by, and she stayed here for a while to watch your house. She had a smell I didn't like on her._

Kane stared blankly at her.

_A human girl? Staring at my house? It sounds like some kind of bad joke...No, don't look at me like that. I didn't say you were wrong, I just said that it sounded like a joke, but it doesn't mean I think you lied to me! It's just that I see nobody who'd do that. Maybe it's someone who's interested in Kathryn? She has quite a few girls in love with her._

K'tyss calmed down, but she was still bothered.

_Well, if you see someone around you acting strangely, be careful. Her scent was strange._

_Strange? How come?_

_Well, it's difficult to explain...It was full of things that aren't supposed to go well with one another. Like arousal and anger...It was as if she didn't know what to think. It reminded me the kind of scent some of our mutated brothers and sisters had. Their mind was unstable, warped. This girl's mind is surely in the same state._

Kane shivered. He looked like he was uncomfortable with the idea of having a possibly disturbed girl coming around at night to look at his house with God knew what ideas in mind.

**Kane POV**

Kane nearly jumped after K'tyss told him someone was coming at night to watch his house. It was the modus operandi of someone who was really obsessed with something...or someone. Nobody came to his mind when he wondered about who could be interested in him, so he came to the most logical conclusion: someone, a girl as K'tyss said, was interested in his sister. He had already seen some girls ask her out while he was still around, and since he was blind, they thought of him as some kind of living decoration. He didn't mind anyway, and they were always turned down by Kathryn, so it didn't really matter to him. Now, if someone had a crush on her to the point of coming at night only to stare at her house, it was obviously on a whole new level.

Kane didn't worry about himself, as he had two "bodyguards" and was now able to overpower anyone by sheer raw strength, but he feared for Kathryn. She was able to defend herself against some insistent love-struck people, but it was another story if she had a stalker. For what he had read in some psychological studies, he knew that some people could go as far as to abduct their target, only to make sure that the object of their interest would not be able to get close to anyone, save for them. It was uncommon, but it still happened, and he wasn't willing to endanger his sister by guessing wrong. He swore to himself that whoever was doing that, he would find out who it was, and thoroughly make the girl understand that what she was doing was wrong. And if she wasn't the type to listen to what people told her, he would hand her over to the police. That was the best he could do.

_Well, I guess that Monday'll be busy._

* * *

_**Yeah, I know. I promised some action, but before I can write some action scenes, I have to introduce a few things and people. So hang on, the next chapter should interest you even more (at least I hope so).**  
_

_**I'd like to thank the people who took the time to review, as well as those who made this story one of their favorites, and of course, those who are following it (thanks everyone!).**_

_** Remember that if you have a suggestion ( I'm sure some of your ideas, if not all, can be better than what I planned to write), you can PM me, but please be aware that I will not necessarily use it.  
**_

_**Next chapter should be out around next Saturday, as usual. See you all next week.  
**_


	8. Chapter 8-School day

##Here is the last chapter, so far it's the longest I've written. I hope you'll enjoy it##

##I do not own the Alien, Predator or AVP franchise##

08

School day

**Kane POV**

After what happened on Saturday, Kane couldn't help but worry about who was the one coming at night to stare at his house, probably because of an obsession in his sister. It bothered him greatly, and yet he couldn't really do anything about it in his current state. He could have ambushed the girl outside, but he wasn't sure that she would come for three days straight, as it would have been the best way for her to get caught red-handed. Besides, even if K'tyss was telling him that there was something wrong about her, he couldn't just call the police for that, as it could possibly be a misunderstanding. Who wasn't a little crazy in their day and time? Maybe she was feeling unwell and was wishing to find someone to talk to?

Even so, Kane couldn't help but worry, as he trusted K'tyss' senses greatly. He himself knew firsthand how accurate their senses could be: his new, improved abilities allowed him to feel things far beyond human reach, and he knew that his own abilities were far from the sisters' ones.

With that in mind, he went through Sunday by thinking all day about what he should do to find the culprit, as well as how he should confront her about what she was doing. He chatted with the sisters, learning about them, their species, how they lived, and he answered their own questions about humans, why some of the things they did were completely illogical, counterproductive, and even vain.

When night came, they once again went for a stroll, Kane using his training to let out some steam, and before long, a few trees were reduced to dust, as he used his new strength to destroy them. He also asked the two sisters to teach him a few things about their way of fighting, learning a few useful tricks from them, even if they were disappointed that he didn't have a tail like them, as it would have enabled him a lot of unexpected moves.

After a two good hours practicing, Kane was satisfied. He was calmer, as his training had enabled him to think about something else, and with his new abilities, he knew he would be able to defend his sister if needed so. Having strength was one thing, knowing how to use it was something else. At least the sisters managed to teach him a few things in their very little time.

As they walked home, Kane decided to bring up something that had been bothering him for a few hours:

_K'tyss, Stryss...Tomorrow I won't be here to take care of you, sorry._

The sisters immediately leapt from the trees they were on to face him.

_Why? Where you going?_ Stryss asked, suspicious. She still didn't trust him completely apparently.

Kane sighed. He knew that this was going to give him trouble, but he had decided to talk about it nonetheless.

_I told you a little about school, didn't I? When you asked me what I did of my time, I told you that I have to go to high school, to study and later get a job. Not that it really matters now anyway._

_If it doesn't matter, then why do you bother to go there? We should stay together and discuss about our...cultures? That's the word you used, right? _K'tyss wondered.

_Yeah, you're using it right. But it's not like a have a choice: if I miss, they'll call my parents to ask why, and then we'll be in trouble. What I mean is that if I don't go to school, I'll attract too much attention, which is precisely what we should avoid doing. Besides, it's not like I won't be here all day. The classes end early, so I'll be home in the middle of the afternoon._

Stryss hissed, displeased, even though Kane didn't know if it was because he wasn't going to be there, or because she was suspecting him of something.

_Don't worry, it'll be fine. Besides, we can still speak to one another even if we are far from each other, right?_

Kane, who was quite curious, had asked to K'tyss to go away earlier, to see how far their "voices" could reach. Surprisingly, unlike their human counterparts, they didn't fade with the distance, which allowed them to speak to one another even if they were far way from each other. It was truly a useful way to communicate(and to corner a prey, he had guessed).

_Also, I'll have to get you some meat, since you like it. I can't really steal forever in the fridge, someone might notice it, and I guess you don't want to do a diet, right?_

_What is a diet?_

Kane's head slumped. It was always like this with them, since they didn't know nor understand many human concepts.

_A diet is when someone, usually a woman, but sometimes a man, is careful with his or her diet, with their way of feeding. People usually do this to lose some weight, since it means that you eat less than usual._

The sisters looked horrified (well, it was hard to tell for Stryss, but Kane guessed it was the case).

_Who would be crazy enough to do that kind of thing? _K'tyss asked, in complete disbelief.

_Well, many people concerned about their physical appearance, I guess. Not that I understand them anyway._

_Humans crazy!_ Stryss said, apparently not wanting to try any longer to understand the weird human world.

_Yeah, I think so too. And I don't think I'm the only human to agree with you. Anyway, like I said, tomorrow, I'll leave you at home, so please, try not to be noticed. That means no going out in broad daylight, no rummaging in anything but my things, understood? We have to be careful. That means YOU have to be careful, and that I have to be careful as well._

Stryss looked a bit displeased, but both her and her sister nodded. They knew that at least for the time being, they were to listen to Kane, since he knew more about Earth and its dangers than themselves. Well, that was what he thought, since he knew they were intelligent and not really thrilled about the idea of finishing in a human lab as study subjects.

The next day, Kane finished dressing, checking for the fourth time that his arms were completely covered by surgical bands, and to be sure no one would notice it (since wearing surgical bands was NOT something that could go unnoticed, save for cosplay), he wore black gloves. As for his eyes, there was nothing to be done, and it was up to him to be convincing enough so that people would be fooled. He only had had two days to start getting used to it, and he could only hope that he wouldn't open them out of surprise should he go through unusual situations.

Since he was going to high school, he was wearing casual clothes, black pants, a dark shirt and a black coat, as it was now cold outside. He knew that behind him the two aliens were staring at him, very interested in how humans dressed whenever they were going to school.

After a last check, Kane decided that he was as well disguised as he could be, and that it was pointless to try and hide it more, as it would have made him more suspicious. Even if he wasn't really into socializing, he knew at least that much. Even so, he couldn't help but feel extremely nervous, which was maybe the most normal thing he could do so far: he was living with two alien-human hybrids, he himself was now a being slightly different from an ordinary human with obvious physical signs of it, and on top of that, there was probably a stalker obsessed with his sister somewhere in his high school. Someone who would not be nervous knowing all that would be crazy, don't you think?

A few small knocks on his door snapped him out of his grim thoughts, as his sister was now waiting for him to come out. She had been surprised, at first, when he had asked her not to ever enter his room without knocking, and to never ever try to enter when he wasn't there, but since it was his wish, all she could do was agree, even if Kane knew she wasn't pleased with his request. It was to be expected, however, since he had never ever forbidden her to enter his room before.

Turning to the sisters, who were already hiding in his cupboard, he waved to them:

_Bye, I'll be home as fast as I can. While I'm not here, feel free to look around, but only in my room._

He could feel their unease, but there was nothing to be done about it.

_Well, I'm off. See you later._

With that last words, he opened the door and stepped outside of his room. Kathryn was waiting for him, her dark coat making her look like some businesswoman. Her hair was freely falling on her shoulders, and she was wearing simple black grey shoes.

-Sorry to have kept you waiting, I was battling with my coat", Kane said, rubbing his neck out of habit.

-Well, now that you're ready, should we go? Kathryn asked, grabbing his arm. She did this every time she could, so her brother didn't really need a stick, even though he had one ready in his right hand. Fortunately, the surgical bands and the gloves did their job in hiding his arms' state.

Going downstairs, Kane wanted to fetch something from the kitchen, but his sister shoved a few cookies in his hands, earning herself an exasperated glare. The young man didn't really like feeling as if he was some kind of giant baby, enable to do anything by himself. Quickly finishing his breakfast, he looked at his sister, who was waiting for him outside, holding the door.

-You know, I can take my breakfast just fine myself. Don't forget that us blind people aren't retards. We only lack the ability to see the world the same way ordinary people do.

Kahtryn's shoulders dropped, the comment of her brother shaking her to the core.

-Sorry", she said, looking dejected.

-But I appreciate the thought. I just want you to have a bit more freedom, so don't worry."Kane added, patting her head. It was something he used to do to show his affection to her, and each time she let out a pleased sound. Using his stick, he made his way to their house's gates, following his sister, and they then started walking to school.

On the road to high school, they didn't see much people, since most students used to take the bus to get there, and apart from them, people didn't go outside this early. Their breathes made small clouds, a sign that they would be better off inside a warm bed. Unfortunately, like every student, they didn't really have a choice.

Their high school was quite big, and had been recently renovated, so it had a modern design, using wood, glass, and some modern materials. Of course, most students were more enthusiastic with studying in renovated classrooms, well, it would rather be "less bored" than "more enthusiastic" since no student really enjoyed having to listen to classes in the first place.

Carefully following his sister (although he could see much better than her, it would have be strange to see a "blind" guy walking around as if he could see), Kane made his way to his classroom (Kathryn always brought him there before going to her own classroom), and waved to her when she left. He then walked to his assigned desk, seemingly using his stick to avoid obstacles.

He then unpacked his books, all written in braille, and started to read that day's subjects, before a hand waved in front of his eyes, startling him.

-Hello, Kane. So, how was your week-end?" a girlish voice asked.

Turning to the one who surprised him, Kane came face-to-face with a girl around his age, with long, brown hair, a pretty face with glasses on, wearing a grey shirt with long sleeves, and jeans. She was of average height, since while Kane was sitting, she had her face at the same level than Kane's. With some curves, she was quite popular among boys who liked the quiet and shy type of girls, since she rarely spoke to anyone unless she had to, apart from a very few people.

Lily was the high school's librarian, and she had a habit of mumbling things when she was nervous, which happened quite often. Kane knew, like almost everyone in his class, that her family was a very conservative one, to the point of not allowing her to sleepover, and apparently, her family was the one who told her what she would be later. It wasn't surprising then, that with her very conservative upbringing, she would feel nervous about nearly everything in class. After all, in this day and age, youngsters of her age were always making dirty jokes, speaking about sex, and wearing some outrageously short clothes when summer was there.

Kane had known her since their common sophomore year, when he went to the school's library to see if he could find some interesting books about psychological issues, which were at the time his subject of interest. She was the one at the desk at that time, and he had recognized her since they were in the same class, even if at the time, she was even less talkative than actually. After coming a few times to the library, he had helped her to carry the books when she needed to put them back from time to time, and she opened up a little to him.

As for how they were now, they were not really friends, neither were they acquaintances, but something between. Neither one of them was wanting to have friends, Kane because he was blind, yet he wasn't (even if Lily didn't know about it), and as for Lily, she felt uneasy around people, so they were as they were now: close without being close, friends without being friends.

-Well, it has been busy, I guess", Kane sighed, remembering everything that happened. Somehow, it felt good to know that his life was the same, or at least seemingly.

"-Yeah, I can understand, with all the homework we had to do...Uh, but I wanted to thank you for what happened Friday. That was really kind of you."

Kane started to sweat. With everything that happened, he had completely forgotten to finish his homework. _Well, shit_, he thought.

-What happened on Friday already? I'm not really awake yet, so I can't really remember." It had something to do with Lily's librarian work, didn't it?

-You don't remember? You know, when Mr Jacobsky was furious about me not giving him the damaged book list in time?

-Oh, that? Was' nothing." Kane answered. All he had done was tell Mr Jacobsky that he had asked her to show him some good books, and that he ended up holding her back in her work. He knew that people wouldn't be mad at a blind person, so he did the same that he had already done for his sister, that was all. It wasn't really a big deal to him. All he did was use people minds to help someone avoid trouble. However, it seemed to have meant a lot to Lily.

The bell rang at the exact moment Lily opened her mouth to say something, preventing her from voicing whatever she wanted to say.

-Can we talk about it after classes end?"Lily asked, with a desperate look on her face, although Kane didn't know why she was looking like that.

Nodding, Kane saw her walk back to her seat, with an unusual smile plastered on her face. _Something good must have happened,_ he thought. It was only the second time he had seen her with such a happy look on her face.

The door then opened, and a man in his mid-fifties entered. Quite tall, he was still smaller than Kane, but while he was thin at best, the man had a powerful build and an impressive presence. No wonder nobody ever tried to speak unless allowed to in his class. The very few who ever tried were asked to come see him after classes, and they never ever told a word about what happened, but the look on their faces told enough.

Mr Smith was Kane's English teacher, and while polite and well-mannered, nobody wanted to get on his bad side. Of course, the rumor about him being an ex-military and instructor didn't help much. Nobody sane would want to anger him, since he was obviously able to break one's neck as if it was nothing.

While most students were a little scared of him, Kane knew that their fear was unnecessary. His "view" allowed him to say that Mr Smith was someone extremely calm, if not a little insensitive, about everything. Yet, he once had seen him taking care of a few injured animals with a broad smile on his face. He highly doubted someone with such a peaceful aura around him was an ex-military.

-Silence everybody! Now, we're starting classes.

For the entire day, Kane attended classes, feeling puzzled about how ordinary his day seemed to be, after everything he had lived in the past two days. He often dozed off, not listening to the lessons, instead thinking about his guests, what he knew of them, about his current condition or things completely unrelated to whatever was said in class.

The end of the day came quickly, as if all the thinking Kane had done had sped up time. Packing his things, he was going to wait outside his class for his sister, when a familiar figure came into his sight. Lily was standing at the right of his desk, fidgeting uncomfortably, and she looked as if she wanted to say something.

-Yes?" he asked, knowing that she could very well stay silent for a very long time, knowing how shy she was.

She jumped, startled, as she heard his voice.

"Remember when I told you I wanted to talk this morning? There's...something...important, I'd like to speak of with you."

Kane looked at her, puzzled. When had she started to speak to him about important things? They weren't close enough talk about things like that to one another, right?

"Well, if it doesn't take too long. I don't want to make Kathryn wait for me.

-Don't worry! It won't take long!" Lily said loudly, nearly screaming, startling the other students who were still there.

Kane was starting to get a nasty feeling about what she wanted to talk about. Even though, he couldn't really escape, it wouldn't have been right to leave her like that.

"Okay. So, what is it that you want to talk about?"

Lily looked around uncomfortably.

"Would you mind coming with me for a second? I can't really talk about this here...It's a private matter, you see.

-No problem. So, where do you want to go to speak about it? I'll go with you, but I'll have to tell Kathryn to go home without me, or she'll be waiting.

-I understand. Can you come to the library when you're done? I'll be waiting there.

-You...know that the library is still closed right now, don't you?

-Since I'm the librarian, I have a spare of the library's keys, so I'll unlock the door."

Nodding, Kane took his bag, and went for his sister's classroom. It wasn't far away from his, so even if she was to come and look for him, the odds of missing one another were fairly low. Using his stick carefully, Kane went through the corridor, avoiding people the best he could (which was the same as someone with normal eyesight walking in a crowded corridor), and he couldn't help but feel the stares on his back. Even if he had been in the same high school than most of the students from the beginning, people still couldn't get used to his presence. It was as if they were pitying him, looking down on him simply because they thought he couldn't see.

_The same as always, huh? I wonder what they would think if they knew I can see just as well as them, if not even better. They don't even think I can notice things ordinary people wouldn't. For example, you there, sir captain of the football team. I wonder what you'd think if you knew your girlfriend is cheating on you...And you, the nerd with glasses, do you really think the girl you're talking to is listening?_

Reaching his destination, he opened the door of his sister's classroom.

"Excuse me, is Kathryn here?

-She'll be back in a few minutes, she just went to fetch some papers." A girl his sister's age answered.

Nodding, Kane leaned on the wall, waiting for his sister to come back. While waiting, he overheard some of the girls speaking about him:

"-It's Kathryn's brother, you know-Kane.

-Oh? THAT Kane? The one she's always speaking about? They must be quite close, don't you think?

-Yeah, yeah! It's the first time I've seen him, but, he's quite the hottie, isn't he?

-Totally! And the fact that he's blind...It just makes you want to protect him!"

Kane sighed. Despite their attempts to whisper so that he wouldn't hear them, he could hear everything. Not that an ordinary human would, but since he was NOT an regular human being..._I can protect myself just fine, thanks. I doubt any one of you would be able to punch a tree so hard that it'd shatter._

Hearing the door opening, he turned to see his sister enter the classroom, with a pile of papers looking obviously too heavy for her. Before she could notice it, he was in front of her, and took the pile from her hands.

"You can ask someone to help you, you know? Just tell me where I should put them.

-Kane? What are you doing here?

-Well, some things happened, so I came here to tell you to go home without me today. I have to discuss a few things with Lily, so I won't be able to go with you."

Kathryn looked a little surprised, and for a split second, a little upset, however, she quickly went back to her usual self.

"Okay. Just send me a message once you know when you'll be getting home."

Kane shrugged. To anyone else of his age, it would have sounded like a hassle, but he knew that she only asked him to do so because otherwise she'd worry. Anyway, he had a phone and he knew how to use it (even if people always thought that it was strange at first, all he had to do was to explain that it was made so that blind people could use it, and then they would accept the idea), so he wasn't going to make his sister think he was irresponsible.

A few minutes later, Kane entered the library, and even though it should have been closed at the moment, it seemed that Lily had used her key to unlock the door so that he would be able to enter. Looking around, Kane made sure that nobody was looking, and then entered the room. He didn't want people to see him entering, as it would mean that they would probably report it to Mr Jacobsky, since he was the kind of man to want the rules obeyed, and he didn't want to have another argument with him. He had barely avoided punishment when he had stood up to help Lily, he didn't want to get in trouble again._ I already have two big loads of trouble at home right now, so let's play it safe._

The school's library was quite big, even if it was true that most people didn't come often, since things like outdoor activities were more appealing to them. Kane was one of the very few regulars, since with his thirst for knowledge, he was always looking to learn more, and that his pocket money didn't allow him to get all the books he wanted.

He spotted Lily sitting behind the furthest bookshelf (thanks Alien Vision!). He could also see that for some reason, she was extremely nervous, and somehow also excited. K'tyss's warning came to his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. There was no way that Lily would be a love struck stalker, she was way too shy, silent, and well-behaved to act like that! For all the years he had known her, he hadn't seen or even heard anything about her doing something more daring than pick up someone's eraser that had fell down! So coming at night to see someone's house? No way!

Making his way to the corner where she was, Kane then sat down on the closest desk, waiting for her to speak. She was fidgeting, her hair falling before her face, hiding it , and she was nervously playing with her fingers. _I have a bad feeling on this one, _Kane thought. While most boys around his age were completely dumb to a girl's behavior, Kane, with his peculiar vision and condition, had always been quiet, and thus observed people's behavior, allowing him to understand it more than the average teenager. And what he was seeing was the typical behavior of a shy girl when facing the worst kind of situation for her nerves: asking someone out. _It's a joke, right? Why today out of all times? And what did I do to deserve this, anyway? I only helped her from time to time! She can't have fallen in love with me only because of that, right? And besides, I'm known to be blind! Most girls don't even _look_ at me as a suitable boyfriend! Well, apart from the ones that think I should be "protected", I guess,_ he added, remembering the girls he had heard earlier.

"Kane?" A low, feminine voice asked.

"Y-yeah?" he answered. Well, he too was nervous now. He had _seen_ girls asking out boys, people asking his sister out, but it was the very first time that it was (probably?) going to happen to him.

"Uhm...First, I'd like to thank you for coming here. I know that you usually go home with your sister, and I appreciate that you accepted to come.

-No need to thank me. I looked as if it was really important to you, so, well...

-Yes, but you came nonetheless. I'm sure most boys in our class would have told me to wait tomorrow, yet you didn't.

-You make it sound as if I was different from them. I'm just a little more, well, I guess that _understanding_ would be the best word for that.

-No need to be modest. Anyway, I wanted to ask you...Uhm...We have a few exams coming next week, right?

-Yes, so?" Kane was starting to get confused. What did exams have to do with her asking him out? Or did he get something wrong?

"W-well, d-do you w-w-want to c-c-c-c-c-come to my home Saturday to have a study session?!" Lily asked.

Kane stared at her, dumbfounded. **THIS** was the "important thing" she wanted to speak about? Well, given her upbringing, she mustn't have invited many boys to come to her house for a study session, but still...

"Uh, yeah, why not? But I won't be able to stay for very long. I have a lot of things scheduled for next Saturday, so I'll only be available in the afternoon.

-It's fine!" Lily answered, looking relieved. Curiously, Kane could see that she was also...angry? Why would she be angry?

A loud bell sound made both of them jump.

"Crap! It's already this late? I have to go! Lily, can I ask you to lock the door?" Kane asked, not bothering to listen to the answer. He then took his leave, knowing that he still had to buy some meat before going home.

Half an hour later, he was going back, with a big bag full of all kinds of meat inside. Since he didn't know what the sisters liked, he had bought various pieces of meat, and now his wallet was nearly empty. At this rate, he was going to need to ask his parents for some more money. Having them to agree about giving him more money wasn't the difficult part, since they both earned a lot, but _telling _them was going to be difficult. He hadn't seen them for nearly three weeks, although they were supposed to live in the same house, and sending them a message was difficult, as most of their patients had their phone number. To anyone else, the idea that his parents preferred answering their patients than their own children would be ridiculous, but it had stopped to bother Kane a long time ago.

Sighing, Kane turned right, taking his usual path to get home. Since it was now dark, he didn't see anyone around, since it was an abandoned residential area. Empty houses were lined on both sides of the road, weeds growing wildly anywhere he could see.

Suddenly, he heard quick footsteps behind him, but before he could turn around to see who it was, or catch a glimpse of the person with his improved vision, his vision went white, and his body stopped responding to his brain's orders, falling down. He was inconscious before touching the ground.

* * *

**I'd like to thank those who took the time to review, as well as those who favorited or followed this story. To everyone reading this story, please take the time to review, at least if you're satisfied/dissatisfied with how I'm writing it. It's always a pleasure to see that people like what I do (or dislike, as long as they explain WHY they dislike it. It's always useful to know what I can improve in a story).**

**Next chapter may be a little late, but I'll do my best to publish it around next Saturday/Sunday.  
**


	9. Chapter 9-Mad one

##I do not own the Alien, Predator, or AVP franchise##

09

Long Night

**Kane POV**

Kane was slowly coming back to his senses. He was feeling sick, his head ached, and he felt nausea creep on him slowly but surely, while all his muscles felt sore. _Great,_ he thought,_ I couldn't possibly feel better._ Trying to get what had happened and where he was, he started to remember what he had done earlier, the walk to get home after buying meat, and then, on the way through a deserted neighborhood, something...happened? Someone...was coming behind him? Who had it been? He had been knocked out...WAIT, WHAT?!

Finally awaking completely, Kane noticed he was sitting on something soft, with both his arms tied to his legs, in a way that prevented him from escaping without injuring his limbs, thus enabling whoever did this to him to catch him easily should he try to escape. The rope used was a very thick one, so even with his strength, it would have been hard to break free from it anyway.

Trying to calm down, he checked his arms to see if his gloves, or at least his surgical bands were still on, otherwise he was going to be in very deep shit. Well, he was already, but it would dramatically worsen his situation. Fortunately, it seemed that the person who took him here didn't think he or she needed to remove them, so he still had everything on. _Well, at least that's one good news. Now, I think I should be worrying about where I am, and what for._

Struggling, he managed to look around, even if his moves were quite restricted by the ropes. He was in a dark room, but to him, that didn't matter. It looked as if it was an unused bedroom, and he was lying on a two-places bed. Someone had painted the window's glass, and he was fairly sure that the shutters were also closed, however, he knew that it was already night, but still not very late. He didn't feel as if he had been unconscious for long, so it was probably around seven or eight in the evening. Kathryn was probably starting to worry, so that meant she would probably try to call him soon, if she hadn't done already. Yet, he wasn't surprised that he didn't feel his phone's familiar weight in his pocket. Of course his aggressor would have took it from him, it was common sense that leaving him his phone would have been a bad idea.

Turning around, he saw that he was also tied to the bed, which made any idea of escaping vanish. It was made in such a way that even if by some kind of miracle he managed to free himself, he would still have to drag the bed with him, which was simply impossible, even with his strength, as it would prevent him from going through the door or the windows.

"Finally awake?"

Jumping, Kane turned his head to see an all-too-familiar figure standing by the door of the room. However, this time, and unlike he had ever seen her, she wasn't wearing glasses, and wearing clothes that were far more revealing than he had thought her able to. The only thing that didn't really change was her smile, yet unlike usually, it was somehow darker, not as innocent as it had used to be.

This time, Lily was wearing black, skin-tight jeans, with a black shirt leaving half of her stomach exposed and with a rosary design. The shirt had unusually long sleeves that covered her hands, and she was wearing a few rings and a cross-shaped necklace. It was as if he was seeing a darker, emo version of his classmate.

"Oooookkaayyyy...Now, can you explain what's the meaning of this to me, Lily? Why in the hell am I tied up like this, and for God's sake, why are you wearing these clothes? I thought your parents didn't allow you to wear anything nearly that revealing?"

Lily chuckled, and sat on the bed, her face inches away from his, with her hand caressing his chin._ There's something seriously wrong here! What happened to her to make her act like this?!_ Kane thought, trying to escape her grasp desperately, but he was tied so well he couldn't really move.

"Darling, why are you asking? I'm doing this for you, of course! That way, we won't ever be apart!"

There was something in her eyes that made Kane shiver. He was fairly sure that right now, Lily was completely mad, and the bad thing was that she looked completely fond of him. She obviously wasn't going to let him go easily.

"Darling? Why are you calling me darling?"

Lily giggled. It was terrifying to see how she behaved like a child, at the same time doing some fairly extreme things, such as abducting Kane, for example. He was starting to fear what was going to happen, as it was now painfully clear that the "disturbed girl" who came to see his house at least twice was her.

"My, darling. I know that it isn't that common nowadays, but why shouldn't I call my future husband "Darling"?"

Kane nearly choked when he heard Lily casually declaring that they were a couple. They weren't even friends before, and now he was supposed to be her "destined husband"?! Just what was wrong in her mind to make her think that they were a couple? He didn't even have her phone number, her email address, nor had he come to her house even once. So how could she possibly say that he was her husband?

"Would you mind telling me how I can be your husband when we haven't even been dating? And even if I'm supposed to be your boyfriend, which I am not, why are you tying me down?!"

Once again, she only chuckled, and it terrified Kane. Just how insane could she be? She was still caressing his chin, and if the sensation wasn't displeasing, the whole situation was seriously wrong. What was happening should not have been possible given her usual behavior, meaning that right now, Kane didn't know how far she could go to get what she wanted. He was feeling powerless, his sharp senses or newfound strength useless, and it was extremely dissatisfying.

"Darling, I am only doing this so that we can allwaaayyyss stay together. It's for your own good, really. Right now, it may be difficult to bear, but you'll eventually understand that it's better this way.

-Better? Obviously you aren't the one tied here!"

A dark hue suddenly colored Lily's cheek . She looked quite aroused, much to Kane surprise. What was this sudden change of mood? Why was she blushing so furiously, and WHY was she fidgeting as if he had said something incredibly perverted?

"So you want to tie ME? Darling, it's too early for that! You haven't even met my parents yet!

-Wha.."

Apparently, what he had said had triggered some really lewd ideas in his abductor's head, and to see her all worked up about God knew what situations sent shivers down his spine. She wasn't even listening to him. Well, she was, but whatever he said, she turned it into something more fitting to her tastes.

The entire situation felt as if it was a nightmare. Usually, Kane would have been quite happy to have a girl completely fond of him alone with him in a bedroom, but it was not like he had imagined it. In a normal world, he wouldn't have been tied, nor would the girl have abducted him. _Well,_ he thought,_ looks like this kind of things is my "normal" world these days._

Something wet suddenly pressed against his cheeks, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Wha..."

When he saw what was happening, Kane shivered, and for the first time since he had awoken, he really felt afraid. Lily must had felt tired of simply caressing his jaw, as she had just _licked _his cheek. She _licked _him, that crazy woman! Well, until now things had felt a little strange, but with that, they had become really gross. He was now sure that she was completely disturbed, and that trying to reason her would have been futile.

"Lily, STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" he shouted, freaked out by her less than acceptable behavior.

"Ehhh? But I really like how you taste, darling!" she pouted, as if she was a little girl reprimanded by her father.

"I don't give a shit about what you like! Untie me this instant, you sicko!"

He didn't see the stun gun before he felt a shock run through his body and his vision went white, his whole body jerking under the electricity's effect. It didn't last long, however, and after a few seconds, he went limp, drained from his energy by the vicious device. Breathing heavily, he couldn't do anything when Lily lifted his head, looking entranced at his face.

"My, my. Darling, you shouldn't be this aggressive with me, you know. We are the perfect couple, so we mustn't argue, don't you think?

-What...in..the hell...made you believe...that we were a couple?" Kane asked, struggling to form understandable words, his tongue weighing tons.

Lily clapped her hands, overjoyed by the question. She gently rubbed his cheek, before letting him lie on the bed, and lied by his side, her face on Kane's chest.

"You must know that my family is really old-fashioned, right? My father is the kind of man who thinks that a woman's duty is to shut up and do whatever her husband tells her to. And my mother, well...She simply won't stand up for me, and she never says anything that would upset my father, so she might as well be mute. I have an older brother, but he is no better than my father, so I avoid him as much as I can.

When I was young, whenever I would say something that my father didn't like, he would slap me, and then send me to bed without eating. When I started to get of age, my father made me come to his study, and told me that from then on, I wasn't allowed to have a relationship with any boy, and that should I disobey him, he would send me to a private all-girls school. He also told me to learn a martial art, as it would allow me to defend myself should a boy be too insistent on sticking to me. He said 'Youngsters these days tend to get drunk easily, and a drunk brat can endanger your chastity. We are not a family to tolerate such irresponsible behavior. From now on, you shall learn how to defend yourself in such a case.'

It was six years ago. Now, I can take down men of twice my weight and height easily, so I do not think any drunk man can have is way with me unless I want him to. However, just to make sure, my father made me carry this stun gun, so even if I cannot defend myself, I can still use it.

But I hated my life. Simply listening to my father and wait until he found someone to marry me...I..Didn't want that. So I decided to look myself for the one I would find suitable to me. I started with the boys of our class, but most of them were simply average students, and I didn't like them. However, YOU, on the other hand, were a lot like me. You were almost always silent, you didn't like to get involved with people, and most of all, what really made me love you, was that even if you disliked being with people, you still helped those who needed it. Me, of course, with what happened last week, as well as all the times you helped me carry books, but also completely random people. Once, I saw you helping an old lady to carry her shopping, and you even went as far as staying with a lost child until his mother found him.

I love you, Kane. I REALLY love you, and I always will. The thing is, you already had girls around you, so I did the only thing I could to get you away from them. I abducted you.

-Wait a second."Kane's voice was clearer as his body had started to recover from the electric shock it had received."You say I had girls around me already, but I can't see anyone fitting the description."

Lily looked at him with wide eyes, apparently surprised that he didn't notice.

"Well, first, there's Kathtryn. You're always with her!

-She's my sister, of course I'd be with her! We have been close for years, and she helps me!

-Then, there are all the girls in her class that are eyeing you each time you go to see her!"

_I bet it's the _"Oh, he's blind, so we must protect him!"_ bunch I saw this afternoon,_ Kane thought._ Guess I'm not the only one who finds them annoying._

"They are only saying that because they feel sorry for me because I'm blind! They aren't in love with me or anything!"

This time, she chuckled.

"Of course, that's why at least two of them asked your phone number to your sister? And that's why one of them was planning to invite you to the party next week?

-Just how much did you look into this?" Kane asked, unable to believe what he was hearing. Of course, he noticed the part that _maybe_ his sister's friends were interested in him, but what startled him was to learn that Lily had been gathering information about them. Just how far did she go?

"Oh, don't worry. It's not as if I did anything bad. I only asked a few things, and when I didn't get my answers, I simply...well...blackmailed them to get what I wanted.

-You what?! Oh, wait. I guess I shouldn't be surprised about anything you'd do anymore, right?

-Of course, darling."Lily was running her fingers on his chest."Remember? I'd do anything for you. I'd fight the world if I needed to. It doesn't matter who's against us, I'll fight them for you!

-You can't even imagine how right you are..."Kane mumbled."One day it'll really be me and them against the world..."

Noticing Kane's sudden dark face, Lily sat on his lap, and brought him into a surprisingly tender embrace. He could pick her female scent, a very sweet one, and it made him feel at ease. She wasn't possessively clinging to him, she was holding him the same way a mother hugs a child, something he hadn't known, his mother not being the maternal type.

"It's okay, Kane. I'll always be there for you. Always. I don't care if you're blind, if you're ugly or whatever could bother you. I'm attracted to YOU, to who you are. It doesn't matter if you get burnt, if you're disabled...You are you. And I love you."

Kane was at a loss for words. When he had awoken after being abducted, and while hearing her speaking, he had assumed that she was completely mad. However, seeing her now, she was simply a girl desperately craving some attention and love from him, even if she used some crazy tricks to do so. He wasn't really that different from her, apart from the fact that he had a loving sister to support him, while she only had a brother who didn't seem to care about her if what she said was true. Then, how could he possibly blame her for what she wanted? Of course, he would obviously need to make her understand that abducting him and blackmailing people was wrong, but maybe there was still a hope that she could be reasoned.

"_Kane! We're coming!"_ a familiar voice shouted in his head. K'tyss seemed to be worried, and also quite angry.

The sudden shout in his head made Kane jump, making Lily look at him with a questioning look. That was understandable, since it was unexpected, and also that given his terrified look, Lily could tell that something bad had happened or was going to happen.

"Is something wrong, darling?"

Kane vehemently nodded, as he understood that should K'tyss and Lily meet each other, there would be a bloodbath for sure. Lily would never understand the sister's circumstances to live with him, and K'tyss was obviously pissed that he was late. When she would learn or understand what had happened, she would probably kill Lily on the spot. He wasn't sure about it, but he somehow _knew_ that she wouldn't even _try_ to understand what had happened.

Struggling to untie the rope, Kane looked at Lily with pleading eyes, a terrorized look plastered on his face.

"Lily, I'll explain everything to you later, but please, for God's sake, untie me! We'll both be in real deep shit if you don't!"

Lily looked at him, bewildered to see him that afraid of something she couldn't sense or understand.

"What are you doing?! UNTIE ME!"

Kane was now struggling so much, his face was red, and sweat was rolling on his forehead and cheeks. A vein was throbbing on his forehead, and he looked about to burst under the pressure of the rope.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his mind, surprising him and making him instantly stop struggling to try to grasp his head. He could see a scenery pass through his mind at an amazing speed, and he quickly understood it was what K'tyss (or Stryss, he didn't know) was seeing. They seemed to be very close of the place he was, as he could feel their anger and worry for him, as well as their excitement about the hunt.

The face buried in the mattress and wailing in pain, Kane had tears trailing down his cheeks, as his head felt like it was going to split in two. He didn't know why he was suffering that much, but he didn't care. He only wanted it to end, by any means available.

"Darling? Darling! What's happening?! Darling!"

Lily, deadly worried about seeing her beloved "husband" in such pain, was trying to understand what was happening, but before she could grasp it, Kane suddenly stopped writhing in pain, and looked at her, bewildered.

"It's...over?" he asked, expecting the pain to come back at any moment."Wait, what am I saying? Untie me right now! Untie me before..."

Suddenly, a loud cracking sound came from the window, attracting Lily's attention, while Kane tried desperately to untie the rope restraining him. Then, before any of them could move, a familiar figure burst through the painted glass, sending broken glass across the room. Immediately after, a second figure entered by the now open window, crawling across the ceiling, above an unsuspecting Lily.

_K'tyss, Stryss, WAIT! Don't harm her!_

The figure on the ceiling hissed, surprising Lily, who looked at it, forgetting the one who came in first, and it took the chance to leap onto Lily, pushing her on the bed, next to Kane. He could see that it was K'tyss, meaning that Stryss was the one on the ceiling, but he was too worried about the outcome of the confrontation between K'tyss and Lily to try and analyze calmly the situation.

Fortunately, it looked as if she had listened to him, simply immobilizing his classmate. However, she looked really pissed, so he would have to be careful about what he was going to say. He didn't want her to snap and then kill Lily, which would be the best way for them to have overzealous policemen suspecting everyone of murder around town.

_Before doing anything, can I ask you to untie me, Stryss?_

The familiar figure of the alien dropped from the ceiling directly onto him, and after a few seconds of cutting the rope with her second mouth, he was free. Thankful, he rubbed her chin, earning him a purr of satisfaction.

_Me happy you well._

_I'm happy to see you too. And really, thanks a lot for coming to get me._

_SO, what happened? _K'tyss asked, still holding Lily down. It looked like she had passed out from the shock, and she was lying, powerless, on the bed.

_Well, it's a long story..._

A glare from the hybrid girl made him swallow.

_Well, to make it short...After school, I was coming home with some meat for you, but someone knocked me out, and then I woke up here. She-_he showed Lily unconscious form- _was the one who abducted me._

Both K'tyss and Stryss snarled. They looked pretty pissed, and he was starting to worry that they would simply kill her, but then he saw that Lily was waking up.

_Please, girls, let me handle this._

* * *

_**Here's this week's chapter. I hope you enjoy it. If so, please review(I'd like to know if the story's still ok or if it's starting to bore you people).**  
_

_**Thanks to everyone who read this chapter!  
**_


	10. Chapter 10-Madness

##Hello everyone! Yeah, I know, this week's chapter is a little late, but I've been quite busy, so I couldn't workk on it often##

##I don't own Alien, Predator, Or AVP##

10

Madness

**K'tyss POV**

K'tyss had been restless all day, turning around in Kane's room, as if she was trapped, which was not the case. She had been trapped for her whole life, and it wasn't the same feeling. She was worried. Worried about what might happen if Kane got caught, worried about what he would say, worried of what would happen to him, and then to THEM. She was worried about this "school' thing that she didn't understand: why bother staying inside while you could be learning outside? Why listen to "classes" while you could simply learn through experience? Her whole life had been made of lessons often learned the hard way, but it made learning way quicker. There wasn't any learning if there wasn't some kind of price to get for it, and school was obviously not about prices, if what Kane had said was true.

She was worried for and about Kane, not about herself or Stryss. They were not the ones who were helpless, they had fought many hardships, and they would never be cornered by mere humans, but Kane was different. He wasn't a fighter, and his life didn't have anything to do with theirs until they met a few days ago. He may had mutated and become a little like her, he was still way more human than her, and being human was a weakness. Her whole body was covered by a hard exoskeleton, which lessened the damage made by bullets, and she was able to move faster and more quickly than any human fighter, making her a formidable foe. Kane, on the other hand, only had his arms mutated, and even if she didn't tell him, his exoskeleton was way thinner than her sister's or hers. The same could be said about his sight: it was better than the human one, of course, but it still didn't match hers.

Thinking, she was turning around like a trapped beast, sometimes stopping, focusing on a single thought, then turning around and resuming her pacing. Her thoughts were focused on Kane, and not even once did she wonder about what she should do herself, which made her sister, who was "peeking" into her mind, quite angry.

_Why in the Mother's name are you worrying so much about the hum...about Kane?_ she asked, displeased to see her beloved sister acting like a young mate worrying about her partner.

K'tyss, who was still thinking, stopped in her tracks, surprised by her sister's question, and by her less than happy tone.

_I'm worrying about him because I care about him, of course!_

Stryss looked horrified.

_Are you crazy?! He's a human! A H-U-M-A-N! In an ordinary world, we should hunt and kill him to avoid being noticed! I'll admit he takes care of us, but it's not enough to see him as a friend yet! Did you forget what happen each time we made friends back at the lab? Do you want it to happen again?_

_SHUT UP!_

Stryss stopped, dumbfounded about her sister's snapping. K'tyss herself was quite surprised about her outburst, but she continued.

_We're not in the lab anymore! So why should I be careful not to have friends? And I hope you remember that Kane did not only help us, but he offered us somewhere to stay, he gave us food, and yet the only things he ever asked from us was to learn about our kind and to stay hidden. If he gets caught, he may be killed, only because he is now physically different from ordinary humans, and that's because of US! WE should be careful not to upset him, not the other way around!_

_I'll admit we need to be careful, but it has been three days since we came here. If he wanted to, he could easily have told others about us, yet he didn't, because if he had, we would have known it right away since he can't lie to us without us noticing. So WHY are you so stuck to the idea of not trusting him?_

Stryss hissed softly. She looked sad, but K'tyss didn't waver, and waited for her to answer.

Finally, after a few minutes, she looked to her sister, and even if she couldn't cry, her whole body language said that she was crying, which surprised K'tyss. She was a very strong person, and it was only the second time she had seen her like that.

_Because I'm scared! We know nothing of this world, so even if humans are weaker than us, they can simply outnumber us if they learn about us being here! But Kane explained that maybe we wouldn't even have the luxury of dying, as we could as well finish our lives in another lab. I don't want that! I refuse to live another second with the fear of not knowing what some crazy people will do to us the next day! And the most important is that I don't want to lose YOU! We haven't gone through a living hell to die like this!_

_You can call me overly protective, you can despise me for being like this, but as long as I live, I'll never, NEVER, allow anyone to harm you. Even if that means that I have to be like this, suspecting everyone and never allowing myself a rest!_

K'tyss, who was at a loss of words, stared at her sister for some time, before realizing that she should probably do something. She awkwardly walked to her sister, and hugged her.

_It's okay. I probably shouldn't have said it like that. I know you care about me, and of course, I care about YOU. It's just that I also worry about Kane, and seeing you act like that, as if he had done nothing for us, well...It seems wrong. I mean, until a few days ago it had been us two against the world, but now, Kane is the same as us. So, I think that allowing ourselves to doubt his motives is wrong. We should at least be thankful for what he has done for us, and I think that welcoming him into our family would be nice._

Stryss hissed softly.

_Yeah. I should also apologize for doubting him. After all, it was my fault if he was wounded and then somehow turned into a hybrid like us. And it is true that he looked worried about us when he left this morning. But I have a bad feeling about him. As if he wasn't who he says he is. A normal human shouldn't have reacted like he did to our blood. It may be cruel, but I would be less worried if he had lost his arms, and not just his skin._

K'tyss was puzzled. Her sister was now willing to trust Kane, at least a little, but what she was saying about his unusual resistance to their acid blood when he was supposed to be a mere human was true. He didn't look as if he was lying about not knowing anything about their kind, but something was obviously wrong with him. Wrong in the sense that he was probably already different from normal humans, even before meeting them. He had said so himself: he had a sight that no other humans had, plus it was very similar, if not the same, as their own sight.

Turning to look at her sister, K'tyss smiled.

_Well, until Kane starts to act suspiciously, I think we shouldn't bother worrying too much, don't you think?_

Stryss smiled, some drool falling on the floor.

_I guess you're right. To be honest, I didn't like having to be suspicious of him either. He's the very first person to be nice to us, after all. He didn't even point out how I was different from him. Well, he did, but only because he couldn't help but wonder why he didn't understand me as well as you. I doubt he would have done it if not for that._

The sound of a door closing interrupted her. Looking down, K'tyss saw Kane sister's figure taking off her shoes. She was alone, which surprised K'tyss, but then she remembered that the young man had said he was going to buy some meat for them on the way home, so he was probably going to come back late.

Deciding not to worry anymore, K'tyss went back to looking at Kane's room, mentally noting everything she wanted to ask him when he would be home.

Approximately one hour later, she was looking at Kane's desktop, fascinated, when a sudden pain shot through her body. Gasping in surprise, she fell from the chair she was sitting on, but the pain vanished before she hit the ground. Looking around, she could see Stryss looking surprised, apparently struck by the same pain she experienced.

_What in the Mother's name was THAT?_ Stryss asked, hissing lowly.

_I don't know, but since neither you or I did anything, I bet it has something to do with Kane. I felt something like surprise at the same time as the pain, so something must have happened to him. And I can't sense his mind either._

Stryss got up. She was now looking absolutely terrifying, her sharp teeth shown by her angry grin, her tail slowly waving around, and her claws opening and closing.

_I suggest that we go out and see what that idiot is doing. He said this morning that he was going to be just fine, and now he gets in trouble? I think there's something wrong there._

_I agree,_ K'tyss said,_ I don't know what happened, but I will not forgive anyone who'd harm him. And if you were right and that he got in trouble by himself, I'll be the first to hit him for that._

"Kane? Is that you?"

The two sisters turned to the door, hearing footsteps drawing near. Kathryn must have heard them and mistaken them for her brother, since she didn't know that she had two alien hybrids staying at her house.

Unlocking the window, the two sisters leapt on the closest tree. Fortunately, it was dark outside, which allowed them to hide just fine. Taking a look behind her, K'tyss saw Kathryn looking into her brother's room, shrugging, and closing the window.

Turning back, she started to scan the entire area to locate Kane's mind's signature. After a few minutes, she picked it up coming from a part of the town where very few lights were on, which was quite strange. Ordinary humans were always staying in the lit areas, as they had a very poor nocturnal vision. To have Kane there was understandable, since he was no ordinary human, but if someone else was there, it must have meant that he or she had followed Kane, since they shouldn't be there if they had acted normally.

_Let's go._

K'tyss voice was cold enough to freeze Hell itself.

Leaping from roof to roof and from tree to tree, the two sisters were mere shadows in the cold night, silently moving, as if they were the shadow of Death itself. Crawling on all fours, they were running at an amazing speed, leaving only blurred silhouettes in their wake. A few dogs started barking when they sensed them, but they didn't even bother hissing to shut them up. Right now, Kane's situation was what was the most important.

A few minutes after leaving the house, they were sitting on the roof of an abandoned house, full of fallen leaves of every shade of red, orange and brown.

_He's there._

Stryss pointed to another abandoned house across the road. It was very similar to the one they were sitting on, slightly bigger, and also, but that was not visible to humans, a lot more used that it seemed to be. The grass was slightly bent by people's visits, the door was smelling of recent varnish, and the windows were reeking of a chemical scent, indicating that they had been painted recently. The sisters could pick all of these things, as well as the fact that the inside of the house was warmer than the others.

With their sight, they could see that they were two people in the house, both of them on the first floor. One was lying down, and the other was on top of the first.

_What is he doing?_

A sudden burst of pain made her fall on her knees, as well as Stryss.

_What was that?!_

Once again, the pain disappeared quickly, but this time, the two sisters took longer to recover. They needed a good minute to be able stand up without feeling sick, and even then, they were not in optimal shape.

_I don't know what Kane's doing, but obviously it hurts, _Stryss said.

K'tyss nodded.

_Kane! We're coming!_ she shouted.

With that, the two sisters started to run on the roof, and with a single leap, they made it to the house's wall. Stryss tore away the shutters with ease, and K'tyss took the opportunity to break through the window.

In the room, there was Kane, tied on what humans called a "bed", as well as a girl that K'tyss recognized easily: she was the one who came two days in a row to look at his house. She was the girl that gave her an awfully bad feeling, and she was with him. Obviously, Kane was not there out of his free will, since he was very well restrained.

_K'tyss, Stryss, WAIT! Don't harm her!_

Kane's request surprised both K'tyss and her sister, the latter hissing loudly, displeased. Seeing that the girl was looking away, she leapt on her, pushing the human female on the bed with such force that she passed out.

_Before doing anything, can I ask you to untie me, Stryss?_

Quickly dropping from the ceiling, the alien tore the rope to shreds easily, earning herself a smile from the young man.

_Me happy you well._

_I'm happy to see you too. And really, thanks a lot for coming to get me._

_SO, what happened? _K'tyss asked, still holding the girl down. Why had he told them not to kill her? Was she that important to him? She was starting to get a little jealous, since he had obviously been abducted, yet he still didn't want the girl to be hurt.

_Well, it's a long story..._

A glare from the hybrid girl made him swallow.

_Well, to make it short...After school, I was coming home with some meat for you, but someone knocked me out, and then I woke up here. She-_he showed Lily unconscious form- _was the one who abducted me._

Both K'tyss and Stryss looked at the girl, anger all over their faces, and snarled. If not for Kane's presence, the human on the bed would have been torn into pieces already. Seeing that she was starting to wake up, the two hybrids got back on their hind legs, both of them nearly touching the ceiling.

_Please, girls, let me handle this._

**Kane POV**

As Lily was starting to wake up, he quickly asked the sisters to sit down.

_But why? It's not as if it would change anything, right? _K'tyss asked.

_Don't ask me why, but humans tend to be afraid of people that are bigger than them. So if you sit down, she should not be as scared as she would be if you were standing over her. Now please sit down. I'd like to avoid having a panicking girl running everywhere._

A groan made Kane turn to the bed, slightly annoyed. Why did he have to go through this? He hadn't asked to be abducted, neither did he want to explain things to Lily. As much as he disliked it, he had to admit he couldn't simply think of her as someone who needed psychological support. Thus, he had to find out what he could do to avoid being abducted again, and having someone knowing his secrets roaming free.

"What happened? Something came in, and...Darling, are you all right?"

Lily, apparently still a little out, was looking around, her eyes trying to focus.

Before she could do anything, Kane grabbed her shoulders, earning himself a glare from the sisters, who were apparently displeased that he treated the girl who abducted him so well. Deciding that he would not be able to please everyone anyway, he ignored them.

"Lily, listen to me. What you did- I mean, the abducting stuff and all-, is illegal. I am very flattered that you are so in love with me that you want to keep me all to yourself, but you know, it simply won't work.

-Darling?"Lily was looking hurt.

"What I mean, is that when you love someone, you have to accept a few things. The first one is that the one you love may not be the ideal man or woman you see in them, and the second is that you simply cannot prevent them from seeing people of the other sex. It's common sense that you want keep the one you love all to yourself, but it's also being selfish doing so. Your loved one will never be happy if he or she cannot live the life he or she wants, simply because an over possessive girlfriend or boyfriend keeps them locked away from the world.

Now, in our case, there's something else that you don't know about me, so even if you're madly in love with me, which I find hard to understand-no, let me finish-, I'm afraid I can't go out with you. And even if I did not have this secret, I'm not really into the lovey-dovey stuff. I WOULD like to find a loving girlfriend, but I kind of gave up the idea a long time ago."

Lily was now staring at Kane.

"You expect me to believe that you're a vampire, or something like that? Please don't tell me I'm stuck to the Bella role, because I won't take it!"

She was starting to get angry, much to Kane's surprise.

"I've been honest with you, and the only thing you tell me is that you have a SECRET that prevents us from going out?! I didn't think that you of all people would be such a coward. If you don't want to go out with me, you can at least tell it straight!"

A loud hiss came from behind Kane's back, startling Lily.

"Darling? What was that?" she asked, no longer angry, looking more than a little afraid.

The young man sighed. Obviously, this was going to be difficult to settle, since the sisters looked eager to let out their pent-up anger on Lily.

"Well...How can I say it...Well...You...see, when I told you I had a big secret, I...wasn't lying, you know? I'm not a vampire, thank God, but it IS true that I'm...well, a little... special. My guests, who are behind me, are even more special than myself, and they are a part of the secrets I have to keep. Now, I'm going to introduce them to you, but I have to warn you, they are both pissed right now, since you abducted me, and they had to come here to get me back. So, I think it would be better if you could stay calm, and not shout or anything. They may _look_ scary, but as long as you don't do anything to them, or to me, I think they won't harm you.

-You _think?_

-Well, I can't really be sure how they feel about you, but they _are_ good people, they simply had a harsh life, so they are prone to see people as potential threats. That's why you shouldn't do anything to anger them."

Turning to the sisters behind him, Kane stared at them while explaining the situation.

_So that's how it is. So please, both of you, don't do anything rash._

_Fine. But if she does anything suspicious, I'll rip her apart myself, _K'tyss said.

Laughing nervously, Kane turned to Lily once again.

"Okay, so now, I'm gonna switch the light on. Are you ready?"

His classmate nodded, her hands shaking a little.

Slowly getting up, Kane went to the switch, and pushed it. The light switched on, and a bewildered Lily stared at the two sisters sitting before her. For a good minute, nothing happened, and nobody said a word. Then, finally, Lily slowly turned to look at Kane, who was now sitting on the bed beside her, since he had figured it would be a good idea to stay close to her, just in case she'd want to do anything stupid.

"So...Who are they?"

Kane stared at her, displeased. He had hoped that she would at least _try _to ask that to the concerned people.

"They are my guests. I found the both of them last Friday, when I was jogging, after a spaceship crashed nearby."

His classmate looked at him with a face saying "Come on, you're telling me they're aliens? Do you expect me to believe that?".

"Yes, they are aliens, and before you ask why at least one of them has a partially human physical appearance, that's because she's a human-alien hybrid.

- An hybrid? You mean one of these _things_ had a child with a human woman?" Lily asked, horrified, and showing Stryss. The alien hissed, and Kane felt her anger as if it had been his.

"These _things_, as you call them, have feelings, you damn idiot! And before you ask how I know it, I have been learning about them since I found them! They are kind to each other, and even if at first they tried to kill me since they saw me as a threat, they are now very precious friends, so you'd better apologize to them right here and now!"

Kane was now standing, his fists shaking with rage.

"So what if they aren't human?! Are you saying that because they aren't human, they can't feel anything? Well, I have news for you! Your so precious darling, the one you claimed to love whatever would happen, ain't completely human either! That's a surprise, right?!"

Lily jumped when he started shouting, surprised by his anger, which was something she could not understand.

"You aren't human? Darling, stop joking! Of course you're human! You look nothing like them!"

Hearing that, Kane showed a maniacal grin.

"Oh, really? So I guess _this_ is perfectly normal?!" he screamed, getting his gloves and protective surgical bands off, revealing his mutated arms, their claws glittering in the light.

Seeing that, Lily screamed, and backed off until her back hit the wall behind the bed. Walking around the bed, Kane approached her, the same maniacal smile plastered on his face.

"Oh? I thought you said you'd love me whatever would happen to me? Was that a lie?" he asked, his face inches away from Lily's, and opening his eyes. Another scream came out from the girl's lips.

"Yeah, I know. It's not something everyone can brag about, having pitch-black eyes. That's why I kept them closed all day today. I'm not stupid enough to walk around with eyes like that in the open, as it would be the best way for me to get into trouble."

Tears started to trail down Lily's cheeks, surprising him. He had expected her to be afraid, of course, maybe angry, but not sad.

"Darling, what have they done to you?

-Wha...Nothing, of course!

-That's a lie! Last Friday, you were absolutely normal! Your eyes weren't black, and your arms were just fine!"

That was true, of course, since he had mutated only on Friday night, and it had obviously something to do with the sisters, of course, but they hadn't done it on purpose.

"Listen to me, Lily. They didn't do anything to me. I'm perfectly fine, and I'm the same Kane than last Friday. I only have different arms and eyes, that's all. Everything else's the same than the last time you saw me."

Looking into his eyes, Lily got closer to him, trying to see if what he was saying the truth. She didn't blink, nor did she turn away, going through her examination of her beloved's body.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she smiled.

"You're right. You're still the same than before."

Leaning closer to Kane, she hugged him, earning herself two loud hisses while the sisters started to get up, pissed.

_It's okay girls. I think she just wants a hug to get better. She must be pretty surprised about everything I told her. You can't blame her for that, right?_

K'tyss looked away dejectedly.

_Peuh! Human girls are really weak if they need a hug every time they're surprised!_

Kane laughed nervously. _Oh God. When we'll be home, I'm going to have it for sure._

A sudden pressure on his stomach made him snap out of his grim thoughts.

"Lily? There's something pushing against my stomach...GWAAAAHHH!"

A electric shock shot through Kane's body, causing him to jerk uncontrollably on the bed. The pain was beyond everything he had ever known. It felt as if his muscles were on fire, his nerves were flows of lava, and his head was burning.

At the same time, the two sisters fell to the ground, experiencing the same pain. Kane didn't know why, but a nasty little voice in his head told him it was his fault. He could only watch them suffer by his fault, and he didn't like it at all.

Finally, the electricity stopped going through him, and he was left, panting, shivering and still jerking from time to time, to lie on the bed. Through his half-open eyes, he saw Lily lean over him, smiling.

"Don't worry, darling. I'll get rid of these nuisances, so that we can resume what we were doing. And don't worry, I'll find a way to make you human again."

She then stood up, her stun gun in one hand, and a knife-he didn't even want to know where she was hiding it- in the other.

Approaching the two sisters, she angrily kicked K'tyss, turning her on her back.

"You bitch! Don't you think you can get between my darling and me!" She then kicked her again, earning herself an angry glare from the still immobilized hybrid girl. For what Kane could see, her exoskeleton luckily prevented her from feeling too much pain.

"You filthy sow, you think walking around with your breasts uncovered can help you to get my darling? Take this!"

She then used the stun gun on the powerless girl, who could only scream in pain.

"Lily, stop this! They didn't do anything to me, so please, stop!"

His classmate turned to look at him, and gave him a reassuring smile. However, it wasn't matching the look of pure madness creeping into her eyes.

"Don't worry, Darling, it'll be over soon."

She then turned back to K'tyss, and brought the knife to her neck.

"Too bad you wanted him, you bitch! If you had stayed on your planet, you'd still be alive!"

Pressing the knife against the half-alien's throat, she was about to slit it, when something hit her on the stomach, making her back off. Apparently, Stryss could still somehow move her tail, and had used it to hit the human threatening her sister in the stomach, but unfortunately, Lily quickly got up, unfazed.

"I would have waited before killing you, miss Alien, but since you're getting in my way, I'll fucking kill you first!"

Moving the knife in her hand, she approached the alien girl, who was now completely exhausted, and could only stare at the mad girl who wanted to keep Kane for herself, and kill her sister.

Things then started to slow down, and in slow-motion, Kane saw Lily running to thrust her knife in Stryss' head, while all he could do was look powerlessly.

_How can this be happening? Why am I so weak?! Why can't I even protect them when they need help? Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Sshhiiittt! Move! Move! Move! You're gonna fucking MOVE!_

**K'tyss POV**

Things weren't looking good. When the human girl had shocked Kane, both her sister and herself had gone through the same pain than him, and they were now paralyzed, unable to move even for an inch. She had thought that she was dead when the girl had nearly slit her throat, but Stryss had somehow managed to move her tail to knock the mad human off. Now, K'tyss was powerlessly lying on the ground while the screaming mad human girl was running to stab her sister n the head.

However, just before she could thrust her knife in the alien's head, a shadow shielded her, tackling the human. Kane had somehow managed to move his body in an attempt to shield Stryss, making himself a living shield before her.

For a second, everything froze in the room, everyone looking at Kane, who was now smiling awkwardly, just before he started coughing up blood, since he had a knife in his stomach. The whole blade was inside his body, since the only thing that anyone was able to see was it's handle.

_Oh, shi..._ was the last thing she could hear from him, just before he fell down on his back, the handle of the cooking item now sticking out of his stomach.

"Darling!" the human girl screamed, backing off, her hands on her mouth.

_Kane!_ both the sisters screamed at the same time, Stryss letting out a loud hiss, while all K'tyss could let out was an strangled sound.

A red flower started to blossom on the room's floor, the three girls staring at the fallen form of their friend/lover. He was breathing heavily, and it was obvious that he needed help quickly, or else he'd die.

Snapping out of her shocked state, K'tyss managed to get up, her whole body still feeling sore, and determined not to let her very first friend to die. Checking the human girl, she could see that she was still staring at her beloved "darling", her hands before her mouth, and deciding that they were better safe than sorry, she hit her neck, knocking her out. She would have preferred to kill her, but Kane would have been angry.

Getting closer to him, she took the handle of the knife as delicately as possible, and quickly pulled it out. The blood, now free to trail down, started fleeing the young man's body quicker, but K'tyss was expecting that. She approached her mouth of the gaping hole in Kane's stomach, secreting the same resin she had used to cover his skin a few days ago. In a matter of seconds, the hole was closed, but her friend was still far from healed, since it only prevented the blood loss. He had already lost a lot of blood, and she had no way to know how badly his internal organs were damaged.

Deciding that she had no other choice, she opened Kane's mouth, and drew it close to her. Sticking her lips on Kane's she started filling his mouth with another substance she secreted, while massaging his throat to make him swallow it. After a few minutes, she let him go, delicately lying him down on the floor. She then looked at Stryss, who was still lying on the ground, her mouth half-open, and her second mouth half-out.

_Are you okay?_ she asked, concerned. Even if Kane had been the one to take the blow, her sister still had suffered an electric shock and seen someone been stabbed in her stead.

_Yes...He really is stupid, isn't he? Even though we only met a few days ago, he was willing to die for me? Just how stupid can humans be?_

Even though her sister's words were harsh, K'tyss knew that deep inside, she was shocked, and while she would never say so, impressed by the young man's protectiveness. She was more used to see humans wanting to kill her, while Kane was doing completely the opposite, protecting them and helping them in any way he could.

Finally realizing what happened, she looked at K'tyss, dumbfounded.

_You gave him some Royal Jelly? Are you completely insane?!_

_What else could I have done to help him then?! Tell me! He was going to DIE! Should I have stayed put, and simply watched him die without doing anything?! He just saved your life, for Mother's sake! Do you want to let someone like that die?_

Being reminded of why Kane was currently wounded seemed to irk the alien, but she couldn't say anything about it since it was true.

_So, what do we do now? _Stryss asked, still a little angry and puzzled about the situation.

_Now, we wait. If I'm not wrong, his body should heal around as fast as ours, and since I gave him some Royal Jelly, he should heal even quicker. While he's recovering, help me with this bitch. We've got to make sure she doesn't wake up and start threatening us again._

_Shall we kill her? _Stryss asked, apparently very eager to get her revenge for the shock and the death threat.

_I think it would be best not to,_ K'tyss answered her._ While I agree with you, Kane would probably be angry, and besides, he told us that humans' deaths tend to be "investigated" by the "police', and that would mean trouble. _

_So, what do you want to do?_

K'tyss smiled. When her sister learnt what she was planning, she had a wicked smile, and they both started working on giving a lesson to the human girl.

* * *

**I'd like to thank everyone who read this story: thanks for the support, people!**

**Now, for the bad news: I have finals coming up, so since I'll be working on them,I may be a little late on the two next weeks chapters. I hope you'll forgive me for that (personally, I'd rather work on this story than on my finals, but sadly, I'd don't really have a choice).  
**

**And if you have suggestions or ideas for the story, feel free to review or PM them to me. See you next week!  
**


	11. Chapter 11-Peace ain't bad

##And I am back! Seriously, sorry for last week, but I REALLY didn't have the time nor the will to finish the chapter##

##Here's this week's fill, I hope you'll enjoy!##

##I don't own Alien, Predator, or AVP##

Author's note: the underlined sentences are those simultaneously said telepathically and loud(or traduced by Kane)

11

Peace ain't bad

**Kane POV**

Kane was slowly waking up. _I'm starting to get tired of being knocked out, stabbed, or whatever. Guess I can't say anything about it, though. If I wanted to live peacefully, I wouldn't have sheltered two aliens. Speaking of which...what happened to them?_ With his consciousness coming back, he noticed he was lying on his back. His stomach was aching a little, and his throat felt sticky. _Guess I won't die today. I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing, though._

He was now wide awake, and fully conscious of what had just happened._ Oh yeah, Lily stabbed me in the stomach...Then WHY am I alive, and not even in a hospital?_ As a shadow entered his field of vision, he understood._ Guess I'll have to thank them for saving me, even if it's somehow their fault if I got stabbed._ Sitting up, he massaged his neck, who was sore from lying on the cold floor.

_Looks you right, sis, _Stryss' voice said.

_I'm glad I was,_ a relieved K'tyss answered. She was currently lying on the bed, her face turned to look at Kane's one. Her face was lit with relief, and she gave him a warm smile.

_'Evening, ladies. I take that it's thanks to you that I'm still alive?_

Seeing K'tyss nod, Kane sighed.

_Looks like I'm even more indebted to you, now. First you heal my arms, and now you save my life. Guess I failed at helping you, in the end..._

He was starting to feel depressed. He had told them he would help them, yet in a single day, he had been abducted, drawn them here (unknowingly, but still), and then, he nearly managed to get them killed, only avoiding so by using himself as a shield.

An awkward silence made him look back at K'tyss, who was looking at him, startled.

_Err...Did I say something wrong?_

_You're saying YOU're indebted to US? Are you stupid? WE are the one indebted to you._

_But I only manage to get you into trouble! It's obvious I owe you a lot, since you healed my arms, and now you saved my ass from a certain death!_

K'tyss gave him a dry smile.

_Speaking of which, we'll have to speak about this tendency of yours to always protect us. For now, I think that there's something wrong in your way of thinking. You say we helped you, but if I recall correctly, your arms were injured only because you helped us first, and you got stabbed while protecting my sister, so it would be right to say that we only covered up our own mess._

_Yeah, but I helped you willingly, so you don't have to feel responsible..._

He was pushed down by a now quite angry K'tyss.

_Of course I feel responsible! I won't let the very first person to care about us die like that! Even more so that you saved my sister's life, for Mother's sake! You're HUMAN, so please, don't push yourself too hard. We can defend ourselves just fine most of the time, so don't be so rash in the future._

Sighing, Kane answered half-jokingly:

_I'll try. But if I'm in danger, I have my knights in shining armor that'll come for me, right?_

_What is a knight?_

_...And so goes the comic effect. Should have expected so, though._

_Excuse me? _K'tyss asked, unable to grasp the situation.

_Never mind. How long have I been out?_

K'tyss shrugged. She didn't understand the human's need of keeping track of the time, so she couldn't really answer.

_Here. I think you said that this device is a "watch", right?_

She was holding a rather ordinary digital watch, which was obviously belonging to someone else, since she had no use for it.

_It was the human's-Lily, you called her- one. And before you ask, she's well. She hasn't woken up yet, but she is alive._

Kane couldn't help but feel surprised. After what happened, he would have expected the sisters to kill her on the spot, yet they didn't. _Guess I don't know them as well as I thought, _he thought. _But I'm glad I was wrong. I don't want to have the police getting involved into this._

_So, where is she?_

K'tyss grinned evilly.

_She's on the wall behind you. We thought that we should at least give her a lesson, so..._

Curious and a little perplexed, Kane turned to look at the wall, which was now half-covered by a dark, shimmering structure, reminding him of the sister's exoskeleton, and of his own. In the center of the now pitch-black part of the wall, Lily was hanging, her legs and arms stuck inside of the dark thing. Her hair was a mess, and her clothes were half-covered by the same resin that made the structure holding her.

_What are you doing to her?_ he asked, as he would never had expected anything like this.

_Nothing too extreme, don't worry. We thought that since she seemed to hate us so much, we should make her one of us. Of course, it isn't true, since we don't have a clue about what happened to you. But she doesn't know that, and I don't feel like she deserves the truth..._

Kane smiled, half-amused. It was true that it was a little cruel, but given what Lily had done, she deserved a little punishment, and by telling her that she was going to become an alien, they could be sure that she wouldn't speak about them to anyone, since in her mind that would mean that whatever would happen to them would happen to her.

_I like the idea. But we should hurry, otherwise my sister will start to look for me. I should have been home way earlier, and I don't know what I'll tell her._

Getting closer to the resin-covered Lily, he noticed that Stryss was looking at him from the ceiling. As usual, he couldn't really tell what she was thinking, but since his sight allowed him to somehow feel the state she was in, he saw that she was angry, and _at the same time_ happy. _I don't even want to know what she is thinking right now,_ he thought. _I'd bet my allowance that I'm going to have trouble with her later._

_Yo, Stryss, are you okay?_

_...fine, thank you._

Kane rubbed his neck in a nervous habit._ Guess she's even angrier than I thought...Oh well, she'll get over it eventually._

_Oh, well. As long as you're fine, that's good. Guess I didn't get stabbed for nothing._

A loud hiss surprised him. Stryss let herself fall from the ceiling before him, and stood up. She was taller than him, her jaw at the same level than Kane's face, and having a mouth full of sharp teeth right before his eyes wasn't to help him relax.

_Why you protect me?! Me won't die from a small cut, you yes!_

_What, you want me to apologize? Remember, it was MY fault that you two couldn't move! I wasn't simply going to watch her murder you before my eyes! Besides, she wouldn't have simply cut you, she was too angry for that! She would have stabbed you right in the head, and it doesn't matter how thick your skin is, it wouldn't have protected you much! Anyway, why are you angry? I'm fine, you can see so!_

The alien snarled, and some drool fell on the floor.

_You fine because sister here! If she not helped you, you dead now! You need treasure life more!_

Kane was starting to get angry. He got stabbed to save her, yet she didn't seem happy about it.

_I need to treasure life more? I acted on instinct back then, as I didn't want you to die, so sorry, but I didn't have the luxury to think about it twice! And anyway, even if you and your sister hadn't been here, Lily would probably have got me to a hospital, seeing how obsessed with me she seems to be._

The alien and the modified human glared at each other, neither one wanting to back off. Finally, it was K'tyss who separated them.

_Easy, you two. Sis, I understand that you're upset, but please remember he did what he did to protect you, so there is no need to be angry at him. I highly doubt he expected to get stabbed, seeing how much this human seemed to care about him._

Stryss hissed, but lowered her head. The hybrid girl then turned to look at Kane.

_And Kane, while I am really grateful that you saved my sister, she IS right about you needing to be more careful. Nothing good happens by willingly taking the hit for someone else._

Kane rubbed his neck, slightly embarrassed.

_Hahaha...Guess I got a little carried away back then...Anyway, I'm surprised that it doesn't even hurt anymore. What did you do to make the wound close so fast?_

Hearing the question, K'tyss jumped, and looked away, much to his surprise.

_What? You simply did the same thing than back then, right?_

An awkward silence fell in the room, as K'tyss was still looking away, Kane was wondering what was wrong, and Stryss was staring at her sister.

_Okkaayy...Now, you've got me worried. Just WHAT did you do to me?_ Kane asked, taking glances at his body, trying to see if it had anything different from before.

_Sister, you tell him. Your idea, so you explain, _Stryss said.

K'tyss wasn't answering, and Kane was beginning to think she would never say anything, but right when he opened his mouth to change the topic, she started talking.

_When you got wounded, the first thing I did was spat some resin on it, to make sure the blood would stop flowing, but it wouldn't have helped your body to heal the internal wounds. So, I gave you some Royal Jelly. I thought that since your body is starting to resemble ours, it should do the same thing when given nutrition: heal faster. However, usually, we only use Royal Jelly to make one of our kind into a Queen, so I don't know if there'll be aftereffects. And before you ask me why I did that, it was because I didn't want you to die, so please, don't think of me too badly. Of course, I will understand if you're angry, as I selfishly gave you something that may modify your body into something different from the average human, but..._

Turning K'tyss to face her, Kane slapped her, much to the two aliens' surprise, but before they could say anything, he then brought her into a kind embrace.

_Why would I be angry? It was my fault that you couldn't move, and my fault again that I got wounded. And anyway, you think I could be angry if I was to become more like you? No way. In fact, I'd be rather happy, since that would mean becoming closer to you two. And besides, since I already am different from ordinary humans, why not change all the way?_

_Anyway, I haven't changed, so it's pointless to talk about it anymore. Let's finish this, so that we can get home._

He patted her hair, a habit he had with his sister, and then turned to see what they could do about Lily.

**K'tyss POV**

She was confused. After telling Kane what she had done, she had expected him to be angry, sad, or any kind of rational reaction after what had happened, yet, not only was he not in the slightest mad at her, but he had even told her that he was happy to become like them. She didn't know what was normal anymore, was it her who was over thinking it, or was it Kane who was completely different from any ordinary human in his way of seeing things?

Watching him, she started having butterflies in her stomach, something that was happening more and more lately. _What's happening to me?_ she thought, completely unaware of what this sensation could mean. Her stomach then jumped, as she felt the young man's hand on her hair, patting it. It was the very first time someone had done it to her, and while she couldn't understand why, she found the sensation to be rather pleasant. Her tail started waving a little, as she was feeling strangely dizzy, unable to understand how such a simple thing could make her this happy.

When Kane's hand left her hair, she nearly let out a cry of protest, but she fortunately managed to keep it to herself, letting out a strangled sound instead. She watched him get closer to the girl stuck to the wall, and a dark feeling awoke inside her. She didn't like to see him so close to a girl who was apparently completely fond of him, yet not only abducted him, but also wounded the very one she claimed to love.

_Should we wake her?_ she asked, wanting to finish quickly. The faster things would be settled, the faster they would be away from that girl, and the faster they would be home.

_I'll do it,_ Kane said, with a strange light in his eyes. K'tyss had never seen him with such a look, but it fitted him nicely. At last she had a proof that he could be angered, and wasn't always willing to help others.

Sitting on the bed, she watched as he slapped the unconscious girl twice, causing her to awake, and look around in a startled way.

_I'll translate what she says to you, okay?_ he said, without turning to the two sisters.

While K'tyss was sitting on the bed, Stryss, her, was standing behind Kane, her mouth half-open, and her claws ready for whatever the crazy human they caught would do.

-Hello, Lily. I take your nap was enjoyable?

The human girl was reeking of terror, which made her smile: for what she had put them through, she deserved it. Kane would probably have said it was wrong to feel that way, but in her world, those who harmed her family and lived to tell the tale were very few.

The girl looked confused, and frantically looked around to grasp the situation, and then saw her body being stuck to the wall, held by the resin the sister produced to hold her. She then turned to look at Kane, who was standing before her.

-Darling, you're alive? Thank God! I thought you were dead! There was so much blood...

Kane translated what Lily said to the two aliens, causing them to snarl, making her shiver.

-Yes, I'm alive, and it is certainly not thanks to you. What were you thinking, stabbing me like that? I thought you said you loved me, but it looks more as if you wanted to kill me so far.

-Darling, what are you saying? I've done this for you, for us!

Glancing at Kane, K'tyss saw that he was really angry, yet for some reason, he was also very sad. Why he was feeling these two emotions at the same time, she didn't know, but even so, she could understand that he was conflicted about what to do.

-For us? I don't remember being your boyfriend, yet alone your destined husband or whatever. Anyway, what you've done to me-abducting me, I mean- is a separate matter. First, I'd like to understand why you've tried to kill my friends, even though I asked you not to. Fortunately, and to my surprise, they seem to have taken a liking to you, for some odd reason, so don't worry: soon, you'll be just like me, a human-alien hybrid.

Staring at the human girl, K'tyss could see her starting to shake in fear of her fate, and grinned. She deserved at least that much, since she had nearly killed Kane, and it was with pleasure that she saw the girl trying to fight the realization of what was supposedly going to happen to her.

However, when she started crying, she was caught off guard. Although she had hunted humans countless times, she never paid any mind to what they were doing, but now that she was living with Kane, she had found an interest in human behaviors.

_What is she doing, Kane? Why does water fall from her eyes?_

Kane turned to look at her, surprised.

_Well, she's crying, so of course she has tears on her face. Wait, don't tell me you've never seen anyone crying?_

Seeing the interrogative look on K'tyss' face, he sighed.

_Well, when humans are really sad, scared, or happy, they tend to cry. While doing so, they secrete tears, who as a result, leak from beneath their eyes and trail down their cheeks._

K'tyss was very interested. Now that would explain a few of her own reactions over the past few days.

_You can go on with her. I'll be outside, I need to think about something._

Kane looked surprised, but he didn't say anything, and she was glad that he did so. That was one of his strong points: he never tried to pry too much into her own business. If he wanted to know something personal, he made sure to wait until she was ready, or at least he tried not to ask too much from her.

_I'll leave them to you, Stryss,_ she said, looking at her sister, who was still standing behind the young man, her mouth still showing her sharp teeth.

_I'll do my best, Sis._

With that, K'tyss left the house, climbing on its roof, her sharp claws leaving deep cuts into the old wood used for the walls. She then sat on her hind legs, and looked to the sky. For years, she had only known the inside of the lab, but now, not only was she free, but she had a friend she was willing to trust with her life, and who was obviously thinking of her sister and her in the same way, as he nearly threw away his life to protect them.

K'tyss was starting to understand how it felt to be truly alive, not barely surviving for one more day, and that, with everything else, was thanks to Kane. He was truly a mystery for her, as his behavior was so different from the one any other human had shown her. He was kind, caring, and even if he asked them to hide from others, it was more for their own good than his, since he was still going to school, which showed that he didn't care much about what could happen to him. He gave them food, he gave them a place to stay, he even seemed sorry to learn about the two sisters' circumstances.

_Just how much can I care about him?_ she wondered. He was the very first person apart from her sister to treat her well, and he was from the opposite sex, which meant that if she wanted, she could have asked him to be her mate. _It's too early for that_, she told herself._ Besides, even if he's that kind with us, I'm sure he'll never see me as a potential mate. I'm just a freak, a lab product, I'm not a complete alien yet I'm not human either. He got involved with us and started to become like me mostly by accident, so maybe his arms will go back to normal one day. I'm sure he'd rather have a human mate than me. After all, I only got him into trouble._

Sighing, she looked at the sky once again, feeling depressed.

_I guess there's no use talking to him about that now. He must be too busy with everything happening to him to want to get involved into some kind of romantic relationship now. With us living at his house, this "school" thing, the need to keep our secret, and everything else, he must be desperate to get a break soon._

She then remembered what she had done earlier to save his life, and her hand moved to her lips. She had acted on the spur of the moment, giving him Royal Jelly, but what was bothering her was _how_ she had done it. For some reason, simply remembering it made her face hot. She could distinctly remember the feeling of Kane's lips on hers while she was giving him the Jelly, the slight scent of his sweat under the heavy scent of his soap.

_What am I thinking about, jeez!_

Yet for some reason, the more she tried to forget it, the more she thought about it. She had never felt that way about anyone, even the unending love she had for her sister couldn't compare to _this_.

However, she then remembered what was likely to happen in the future since she gave him Royal Jelly, and that made her think about what she would do if Kane was to become a Prince Guard. Obviously, he'd still be partly human, but that was the only thing she could be sure of. She didn't know what he'd look like, nor if the changes that would occur to him would be painful or not. Seeing how he had seemed to suffer from simply having his arms change, she didn't want to imagine what he would have to go through if his entire body changed, especially his internal organs.

_Well, now it's too late to regret it, anyway._

A last glance to the cloudy sky, and she was getting back inside the house.

**Kane POV**

The next morning, Kane woke up early enough to see that he could have kept sleeping for more than a half-hour, but since he was awake, and well enough awake to know that he could go to sleep anymore, he chose to get up. He carefully got out of the bed, avoiding the two aliens still sleeping on it, which was easier said than done. While he could understand K'tyss' behavior, as she was already quite clingy before, he had a hard time understanding why Stryss was also willing to sleep with them. Of course, at first, he supposed it was because she wanted to be with her sister, but she proved him wrong by clinging to him in her sleep. His right arm was still sore from her grip.

_Guess I got some points from protecting her yesterday. It ain't bad to have some peaceful time once in a while, with nobody pestering me every damn minute._

Scratching his eyes, he walked to the bathroom, his black shirt falling loosely on his stomach, and he looked at himself in the mirror. With what he had heard from K'tyss about Royal Jelly, he was half-expecting to see further mutations of his body, but it seemed that nothing changed, at least externally.

After a good shower (he noticed that the area where he got stabbed was now covered by a little scar), he got dressed, and then checked every inch of his skin to notice anything unusual, but fortunately, once again, the surgical bands were covering his exoskeleton perfectly. With a sight, he returned to his bedroom, to see that the two aliens were now awake, K'tyss rubbing her eyes, and Stryss stretching, her tail wagging around (she had to be careful though, as she was tall enough to touch the ceiling when stretching her arms).

_Hello ladies, how was the night?_ he asked, walking to sit beside them on the bed.

_Fine, after the feast we've had yesterday, I slept like a newborn. That meat was delicious, especially that beef. I hope we'll be able to eat more soon,_ K'tyss answered, lying across his knees. Her skeleton may had been hard enough to protect her from most wounds, yet it didn't hurt him, as it was soft to the touch. Of course, Kane was trying desperately NOT to think about what was touching him, since that even if he had accepted the idea of K'tyss walking around with her breasts in the nude, as he was able to focus on something else most of the time, having them pressing against his legs was not something that'd allow him to forget about the fact that she was at least partially human.

Laughing nervously, Kane tried to keep his hands in check, since as he was an _almost_ ordinary teenager, he had a few...interests in girls, and even if said girl wasn't entirely human, she was still a beautiful female, with some nice curves. And anyway, he himself wasn't a hundred percent human. However, said girl may have been his type, yet he had been raised with the firm rule to be a gentleman, and to him, being a gentleman meant taking his time, and not pressing the matter. Besides, apart from his sister and, more recently, to Lily, he didn't interact much with the members of the opposite sex, so he was quite shy around girls when it came to things such as romantic relationships.

_Speaking of this, I know you liked it, but since good meat isn't cheap, I don't think I'll be able to buy beef too often. I can buy some other meat, of course, so you won't starve, but..._

K'tyss pouted, her legs moving up and down.

_I still don't understand that you have to pay for everything. Why can't you simply take what you want?_

_Because it would mean getting into trouble with the police, and also having a bad reputation. Humans are weak, so they need to live in societies. To do so, they set rules, and those who disregard them are seen as outcasts, no matter what the case._

K'tyss sighed.

_Humans are too complicated for me._

Turning around, she extended her arm to his cheek, and lovingly caressed it, surprising Kane.

_K'tyss?_

_Kane, I've been wondering...Why are you so kind with everyone? With us of course, and with this girl, Lily? _

Stryss, who until then had been listening to them while stretching, approached them, curious. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to stay silent, he nervously rubbed his neck.

_Well, I am like that, I just...feel the need to help people when I can. Maybe it's because of my "blindness", but I simply want to be accepted for who I am, so I just help whenever I can. And since you were obviously needing some help when I met you, of course I did everything I could._

The two aliens were now listening carefully, K'tyss lying on his lap, and Stryss now sitting before him.

_But WHY? WHY did you go so far as to protect Stryss with your own life?_

Thinking carefully, Kane rubbed his cheek.

_Well...Please don't laugh. I just...got the feeling I had to protect my family, that's all. I didn't want her to die, not after meeting people who could accept me for what I am. Besides, I would have done the same for anyone, but in her case, it is true that I didn't want to see her die because of me. After all, the reason she was there in the first place was because I got abducted, so if she had died, it would have been my fault._

K'tyss chuckled, and Stryss hissed loudly, which may had been her way of laughing.

_I told you not to laugh!_

_Sorry, but you were just acting so fidgety, it was too funny, _K'tyss said, when she finished chuckling. She then looked at him with a much more serious expression.

_But, Kane, what you said...thank you for that. Really. It means a lot to us, as well as everything you've done for us so far. And I think I speak for both of us when I say that we, too, see you as family._

_You little brother, me big Sis, and K'tyss little sis,_ Stryss said, her mouth curling into a smile.

With a smile, Kane stroked K'tyss' hair:

_Well then, Big Sis, Little Sis, I think I still have a little of this beef I bought yesterday..._

The two aliens looked at him in disbelief, before he added:

_I made sure to buy enough for yesterday and today's meals, but since I guessed you'd eat everything, I made sure to keep some in the fridge. I take that you'd like to eat them now?_

Seeing the puddle of drool under the two aliens' mouths, he laughed, and lifting the alien hybrid lying on him to get up, he went to the door.

_I'll be back in a few minutes with the beef, wait for me here, okay?_

Just before closing the door, he had a glimpse of an alien girl jumping everywhere in his room, and he thought: _Well, having peaceful days ain't bad._

* * *

**Once again, thanks to all the people reading this fanfic, even the anonymous, and thank you for your reviews.**

**Recently, I've got a review telling me I sometimes jump between ways of indicating the characters speaking. If so, I really apologize, as I didn't notice it, and I'll try to correct that in the next chapters. Thanks for telling me about that.  
**

**Well, I'll now leave you, and I wish you all a Merry Christmas (maybe Santa'll drop by with some presents?).**

**27/12 edit: Prince/Princess Guard is the alien name for what we call Praetorians.  
**


	12. Chapter 12-Family meeting

**Hello everyone! Before reading this chapter, please note I've updated the eleventh one (which until now was a message explaning there'd be no chapter last week) into the "true" eleventh chapter, so if you haven't read it yet, you'd better do so, or you'll have some difficulties to understand this chapter.**

**Now, this chapter is my Christmas present to those who read this story, so I hope you'll enjoy it! Merry Christmas!  
**

* * *

****##I don't own Alien, Predator, or AVP##

12

Family meeting

Authour's note: the underlined text is said both loud and telepathically (or translated by Kane)

**Kane POV**

After taking his breakfast and taking the beef to the sisters (who were drooling enough to make a pool), Kane prepared himself for a new school day, making his schoolbag and checking that he hadn't forgotten anything. Packing his books, he could hear the pleasured groans of the sisters who were eating their breakfast, and taking a glance to them, he couldn't help but smile. They may had been perfect killers, for that he had witnessed of their stealth and strength when they came to his rescue the day before, but right now they were nothing more than two girls happily eating, though one of them didn't really look like a girl.

When he had made sure that he hadn't forgotten anything, he turned back to the sisters, who had finished their food, K'tyss licking her lips were some blood was still left, and Stryss looking at her sister. He then took the plate where the beef had been kept, and headed to the door, but K'tyss voice stopped him.

_Kane, before you leave for school, we need to talk. We have something important to discuss with you._

Puzzled by the serious tone of his guest, he got back to them, and sat down, facing them.

_Sure, what is it about?_

Glancing at her sister, K'tyss then looked back at him, and explained:

_Do you remember what we told you about our species?_

_Well, yeah, but why are you asking me this?_

_Well, you know that our species has different types, right? And we told you that any one of us could evolve into a higher type if given the proper conditions, didn't we?_

Scratching his head, Kane simply nodded, not sure about where this was leading him.

_Well, Stryss, until now, had been a Worker, the lowest type of our species when born from a sentient host. However, it seems that since yesterday, she has been fighting the urge to mold, so we need to find her a safe place to do so. Of course, she cannot mold here at your house, because that would leave an empty skin, and it would be difficult for you to get rid of it without attracting some unneeded attention. Do you now a safe place for her to mold, because she won't be able to restrain herself for much longer?_

Surprised about the sudden news, he looked at Stryss, who was embarrassingly looking down.

_Is it true, Stryss? You're really about to mold?_

Jumping when she heard his question, she answered:

_Yes. Me about to mold. Me not Worker anymore, me will be Warrior! Me will now be able to protect you more easily!_

Smiling at the obvious joy of the alien, Kane hugged her, which seemed to surprise both of the sisters.

_Congratulations, Stryss._

_K-k-k-kane?! What you doing?_

Apparently, his spontaneous action had startled her so much that she didn't even push him back, and the scene was quite awkward, since she was taller and stronger than him.

When he let her go, he could see that she was embarrassed, but he didn't really understand why, since until then she had been quite clear about the fact that she didn't like him, yet now she acted as if she was a flustered teenager. For some reason, K'tyss was also flustered, yet he couldn't understand why either. Shrugging, he then thought about the news he had just learnt, and while thinking about a safe place, he remembered something that made him smile.

_Girls, I think I know a safe place. It's quite close, too, so if you want to see your sister, K'tyss, you'll be able to get there quickly. Nobody would ever think about looking for you there, and once the door is closed from the inside, nobody can get in._

Smiling happily, the alien-human hybrid girl turned to her sister with a delighted face. After a quick chin rubbing, she turned back to Kane.

_So, where is this place? And when can we go there?_

_Oh, we can go there tonight, I just need to warn the owner of the place that I'll be using it. Besides, if I didn't warn him, he'd be able to mistake me for a burglar and shoot me._

Curious, K'tyss asked:

_What kind of place is it?_

_Oh, it's an old fallout shelter that my grandfather bought a while ago to change it into an autarkic shelter. He believes that mankind will soon fight the Third World War, and that only those prepared to survive will be able to live in that world. The funny thing is he also believes in aliens, and he often participate in UFO observations, things like that. I'm sure he'd be dead jealous knowing that his grandson had an encounter with aliens before himself._

Thinking about something, Kane grinned.

_I've just remembered, but there's something else that's good about that place. My grandfather bought it for that reason, after all. The shelter's back wall is only one meter away from the town's sewers, so with a little work, we'll be able to create you a way to get around town in broad daylight without anyone noticing._

Interested, the two sisters listened to Kane's idea of creating a way for them to get easily from the shelter to the house's cellar, and even get wherever they wanted without anyone in town noticing them, by using the sewers.

_Good idea! With this, we'll be able to move without anyone knowing it, and if we are in trouble, we can escape through the sewers,_ K'tyss said, her tail waving enthusiastically.

_The thing is, my grandfather has a kind of sixth sense about lies, so it'll be tough to get his approval, and without it we can't use the shelter. And I can't really tell him the truth, he wouldn't believe me..._

_You said he believes in aliens, right? Do you think he'd want to kill us if he knew?_ the hybrid girl asked.

Rubbing his neck, Kane answered, a little reluctantly:

_I don't think so. I haven't seen him in a while, so I don't know for sure, but I remember that he said once:"We'd have a lot to learn from the species able to cross space, as they would have needed to be in peace with their own kind to achieve something so difficult. And as for today, humans are still far from reaching that utopia." I guess that means he has more faith in you than into mankind. I can't blame him for that, though._

Glancing at Stryss, who simply nodded, she then turned back to Kane, with a determined face.

_We'll come with you._

_What?_

_I said we'll come with you when you'll go see your grandfather. We can't ask you to lie to your own family for our own good. You should tell you sister about us, too._

_NO WAY!_

The two sisters jumped at his mental scream. Kane himself was surprised by his outburst, but he explained:

_Sorry. It's not that I don't want to tell her about you, but I simply can't tell her that I'm not human anymore. I mean, I know we're a family, both of you and myself, but she has been with me for nearly my whole life, so I can't just tell her:"Oh, yeah. I'm not human anymore, but be careful not to tell anybody about it"._

_You know that she'll find out sooner or later, right? Do you think she'll take it well to know you've lied to her all this time?_

Kane glared at K'tyss. He knew she was right, yet deep inside of him, he wanted Kathryn to be happy, and safe. If anyone called the military about them, she would be one of the first to be interrogated, and the less she'd know about them, the better.

_Well, for now, I want to spare her the news about us and my condition. We'll see about that later. For now, we should focus on what we're going to tell my grandfather. Obviously, I can't go and see him tonight, so I guess I'll skip school for today._

The two sisters looked at him, concerned.

_It okay for you miss school? _Stryss asked._ You said it bad to miss school._

_Well, in a normal world, I shouldn't skip school, but in a normal world, I wouldn't have met you, so it's okay to ditch for today. Plus, school is made to learn the things we'll use in our professional life, and I don't think mine will require much things I can learn here. And anyway, I know everything we've learnt until now, and I don't think I'm bragging when I say I know more than most doctors. I've always been a very quick learner, so it's fine._

That instant, aloud knock was heard, along with Kathryn's voice:

"Kane? We have to go to school now, or we'll be late.

-Sorry, I feel sick today. It may be because I stayed outside late yesterday, but I've been vomiting since I got up.

-Oh no! Do you want me to call a doctor?

-No, it's fine. I think a good rest will help a lot, so I'm going to sleep for most of the day anyway.

-Are you sure you don't want me to get you a wet towel? I can also stay here for the day if you need.

-Nah, there's no need. It's best that you don't miss a day, besides you can get my homework for me if you go. And if it's a cold, I'd rather not let you get it.

-I understand, but if you feel that your condition is worsening, call me right away, okay?"

After reassuring his sister, Kane turned back to K'tyss and Stryss.

_All that's left now is to wait for her to go to school, and then get to my grandfather's place, without you being noticed. It'll be hard, that's for sure. But we'll find a way._

One hour later, Kane was walking down the street with two white ghosts following him. Since Halloween was near, he had had the idea of hiding both of the sisters under some old sheets, and until now, they had managed to avoid any unwanted attention.

_Kane, can you tell me WHY we have to hide under these things again?_ K'tyss asked for the tenth time since they had left his house.

_Because otherwise it would be hard to walk around this easily,_ he answered for the tenth time.

Fortunately for him, they were now close to his grandfather's place, and as they stopped before a house, he could hear the surprise of the two sisters. That was understandable, as said house was even bigger than his parent's, with a well-maintained garden, full of different vegetables, from tomatoes to potatoes, and even had a hummer parked before it. It was made in a modern, simple style, so much that it looked as though the owner didn't care about decoration.

Looking around, Kane made sure that nobody was around, and then went to knock on the door. However, before he could do so, the door opened by itself, leaving room to a very tall white man. He had long, white hair, made into a ponytail that fell on his right shoulder, and was wearing a simple black shirt, with brown camouflage pants. Unlike his grandson, who was so slim he could have been called skinny, he had a very muscular body, and he looked like he could crush a bear with his bare hands.

"Kane? What the hell are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in school? Not that you'll learn anything there anyway. And why in the pits of hell are there two badly disguised people behind you? Halloween is next week!" Kane's grandfather said, in a very deep voice.

Laughing nervously, Kane rubbed his cheek. At first, he had thought it was a good idea, but now that his grandfather was before him, he was starting to wonder what had gone through his head to think so.

"Grandpa, I've got something important to discuss with you, so can we all get inside, please?

-Well, I always have time for my grandson, but right now I've got an appointment with someone who saw a UFO a few days ago. It wasn't really far from here either, so I'd like to hear his story."

Hearing that, Kane couldn't help but notice that it must had been the ship the two sisters' were in when they came to Earth. Taking a glance behind him, he could see that the two aliens were waiting nervously.

Turning back to his grandfather, he took the most serious face he could, and asked:

"Grandpa, it's a once in a lifetime favor I'm asking, so please, can we get in? Besides, I believe that what I have to tell you will make you forget everything about that witness."

Looking down to his grandson's face, the man sighed and made them enter the house. The entrance was simple, with little decoration, like the house's exterior, however, as they entered the living room, the walls got covered by magazines' articles, all UFO-related, and the furniture was covered by books on conspiracies theories, UFOs, and other "strange" subjects. From time to time, Kane could even see notes written on said articles.

As his grandfather sat down on the large sofa that took most of the place, Kane kept standing, sweat starting to trail down his forehead. The last time he had seen his grandfather was about two years ago, before he went on a trip around the world to collect UFO-related witnesses. Since then, either he couldn't find the time to visit him, or his parents forbid him from doing so. Of course, he could have did it nonetheless, but he was fairly sure that would his parents learn about it, they would make sure that he would never be able to do anymore. They thought that the man sitting in the sofa had a bad influence on Kane._ Easy for them to say, _he thought. _At least he pays attention to Kathryn and me, not like some workaholics I know._

"So, 'son. What's up with the sudden visit? And who are your friends? Wait, you got yourself a cute girlfriend and made her pregnant? That's bad, Kane. You should act like a man in this kind of case."

Coughing to hide his embarrassment, he then made up his mind. _You can do this, Kane! It's nothing compared to what you've been through these last days! Yes, you can!_

"Actually, I DON'T have a girlfriend, even if I had an aggressive girl after me yesterday.

-Oooh? What was she like? Cute, I hope? Proactive, right? Maybe the sportive type?

-That's not the point here. Besides, I have the feeling this girl won't want to get close of me anymore.

-'Son, I don't know what you did to her, but I hope you didn't do anything shameless." The old man said in a threatening voice.

"I didn't do anything! Well, I DID, but it wasn't shameless, and anyway, that's not your business. If I skipped school today and went as far as to lie to Kathryn, it's because I've got something serious to tell you, and I have a favor to ask."

Leaning forward, the old man joined his hands in a thoughtful manner:

"Okay. So, what's so important that you skip school to visit me, even though we haven't seen each other for two years?

-Well...It's hard to say, but...I need to use you shelter. My friend here, needs a safe place to stay for a while, and I thought it would be a good idea to ask you.

-And why doesn't your friend ask me directly, instead of making you do the job?

-Because she can't speak. Well, she can, but you won't understand her.

-'Son, don't look down on me. I speak six languages fluently, and I understand seven others quite well. So I highly doubt you can understand her while I can't."

Sighing, Kane held his heads in his hand. _This is going nowhere. I'd better show him, otherwise we'll never get to the point._

"Grandpa, I'm going to show my friends to you, it'll be easier for you to understand. However, I want you to promise me not to do anything to harm them in any way, okay?"

Lifting an eyebrow in interrogation, the old man stood up:

"They must be pretty important to you if you go out of your way to ask that of me. I promise.

-You'd better sit down, grandpa. You might be a little too surprised to stand.

-Who do you think I am? I ain't going to be surprised so easily!"

Sighing, Kan turned to the two girls, who were getting more and more nervous.

_Girls, you can take these sheets off, but don't damage them. We'll need them to get back to my house later._

With groans of satisfaction, the two aliens took off the sheets they had been wearing, letting them fall down, and stretching as they had been forced to walk in a manner that didn't really suit their habits. As they did so, Kane's grandfather's mouth opened wide in shock, and his legs started to shake.

"Holy shit! Kane, are they really what I think they are?

-Well, they ARE aliens, that's for sure. I told you you'd like what I had to tell you. So, surprised?"

**K'tyss POV**

As she took the sheets off her, K'tyss couldn't help but notice that the man Kane called his "grandfather" didn't look like his grandson at all, apart from a tendency to be nearly as tall as her sister. He was well-built, and his moves were simple and efficient, showing that in the past, he had been a very well-trained human, unlike most of the ones she had seen so far.

She was starting to wonder if it really was a good idea to reveal themselves to that man, as he was the kind of human that could be a serious threat to both her sister and her if he wanted to kill them. However, she trusted Kane enough to know he wouldn't have brought them there without being fairly sure that it wouldn't put them in a dangerous situation.

When he saw her sister and her, the man's eyes widened in shock, and his legs started to shake, however, after that Kane said something to him, he quickly regained his composure, and with a wide smile of his face, he gave off a strange scream before starting a weird dance around the room.

_Are you sure he's okay, Kane? He looks like he has some problems in his head, just like the girl yesterday._

Kane looked at her with an awkward smile on his face.

_Well, it is true he is a little stranger than the average human, but I think he's just too happy to stay put right now._

_He's happy?_ she asked, surprised, before confirming it when looking at him._ Why?_

_I think it's because he now has a proof that he was right all these years about the existence of aliens. Even his daughter-my mother-, didn't believe him, so now that he knows you exist, he knows that he didn't do everything until now in vain._

Turning to watch the old man, she saw him dancing around happily. _These humans are crazy, _she thought. _Kane isn't afraid of us, and now his "grandfather" is happy to see us. Is there some kind of mental disorder in this family?_

While she was thinking, the old man had stopped dancing and was now coming closer to her, staring at her body and sizing her up. When she noticed it, she hesitated between getting angry and letting him do as he pleased. After all, he was the second human to treat her differently from a mere monster, so she was quite willing to let him look at her, even if his gaze made her slightly uneasy, as it was quite similar to _his_, but while _his_ was cold and calculative, the old man's one was simply curious.

After a little while, the old man seemed to notice that he was staring at her, and while straightening himself, he extended his right hand to her with a smile on his face, and he talked. Of course, she didn't understand what he said, but the tone made it clear he was greeting her.

Turning to Kane, she asked:

_Kane, can you translate for us as you did yesterday?_

_Of course. He just said:"Pleased to meet you. I am Kane's grandfather, Erik Johanssen."_

-Grandpa? I'll translate the conversation to both sides, oaky? So feel free to talk to her.

Turning to the old man who was still looking at his grandson with an awkward face, she smiled.

_We are pleased to meet you too, Erik Johanssen, Kane's "grandfather". My name is K'tyss, and my sister here is Stryss. We are grateful for your help._

As she spoke and Kane translated, Erik turned to look at her.

-You're welcome. It's an honor to be helping you. If I may ask, why do you need a safe place to stay? Are you possibly pursued by the military?

_No. However, Kane told us that they may know that we are here, so we are keeping a low profile for now. And even if he is kind enough to put us up in his room, my sister needs to mold, and we cannot ask of him to keep our presence a secret if a huge cocoon was to appear in his room._

Erik Johanssen as he called himself turned to look at Kane with an interrogative look.

-Their species use a kind of hierarchy similar to ants, and every one of them can mold to evolve into a higher type. Actually, Stryss is a Worker, I think? the young man explained.

Stryss nodded when Kane turned to look at her.

-And now, she is going to mold to become a Warrior. I don't know how long it'll take, but while she'll be molding, she'll be defenseless. So I suggested that they use your shelter, that way she'll be able to mold in peace, and I was thinking about helping them digging to the sewers to manage them a way to get around the town easily. It's not like they can simply walk in broad daylight without being noticed.

Nodding in understanding, Erik turned to the sisters.

-I understand. However, the sewers are separated from the shelter by a meter of concrete, so it will be difficult do get through it.

With a smile, she answered:

_Don't worry. We have the means to easily melt it._

-What do you mean?

Turning to Kane, she asked:

_Can we show him about how we can spit acid?_

_If you want to do so, I suggest that we get to the shelter before. Your acid is too powerful to use here, it'd leave burns._

Shrugging, she turned to face Erik, who was looking at his grandson with a strange face.

_Is there something wrong?_

Hearing her silent question through Kane's voice surprised Erik, and he awkwardly rubbed his neck.

Well...I've been wondering...How can Kane understand and translate what you say, while I can't? Is there a trick I'm missing? I'd really like to talk to you myself, without needing to ask Kane to translate.

The question made Kane jump, and K'tyss could see that he was now extremely nervous.

_Kane? What's wrong?_

Jumping when he heard her question, he simply answered:

_Nothing. It's just that I didn't expect that I'd need to explain him my current situation. I don't think I can avoid it, anyway, since as I said, he'd know right away if I lied._

Understanding his dilemma, she walked to him and gave him a flick in the forehead.

_You should trust your family, Kane. Can't you tell that he'd never judge you for something you're not responsible? He's your grandfather, Kane. If you can't trust him, you can't trust anyone._

Stroking his forehead, Kane sighed.

_I guess you're right. By the way, is there any way for you to communicate with him without me translating? Because one day you may need to ask him something and I won't always be here, so..._

_Honestly? I don't know. We can try something, but I can't promise you it'll work, _she said. She could understand that if Stryss was to need something and Kane wasn't there, it would be better for them to be able to express it to Erik.

-Kane? What is she doing?

Seeing how he looked surprised, K'tyss understood that he had forgotten about his grandfather while they were talking, and she chuckled. That made Erik smile:

-Kane? You said you didn't have a girlfriend yet? I think K'tyss here would be a good choice. You'd make a great human-alien couple.

As Kane choked to his grandfather's words, she looked at him questioningly:

_What did he say?_

_..._

_Kane? WHAT DID HE SAY?_

As a mortified Kane answered, she got more confused:

_What is a girlfriend?_

_..._

_Kane? I asked you something._

_Errr...I girlfriend, is, well, a female who'd be in love with me and who I'd be in love with, something like that,_ a completely red and embarrassed Kane answered.

_You mean, like a mate?_

_Well, I guess..._

Suddenly, K'tyss started to feel dizzy, and she could feel her face getting hotter. _What's happening to me?_

As she struggled to keep a steady footing, she heard Erik saying:

-Well, it looks like she doesn't dislike the idea either, right?

Before she could ask Kane to translate, she heard a loud sound, and then Kane became completely serious:

_This is bad, there's someone at the door!_

* * *

**Well, this conclude this chapter! Next one out this week end, as usual!**

**Thanks to those who took the time to review (those who simply read too)!  
**


	13. Chapter 13-A safe place

**Hello everyone, here's this week's chapter. I must say that I didn't expect it to go how it does when I first started writing it, but I feel that somehow it isn't so bad. **

**On another note, I won't post a chapter for the new year. Why? Because I just finished this one, and that I won't have the time to make one by tomorrow, so I hope you won't be mad (no beatings the author, please^^). For those who are curious: yes, there will be a chapter next week, around the same than usual.  
**

**And before leaving you to read the chapter: early happy new year!  
**

* * *

##I don't own Alien, Predator, or AVP##

13

A safe place

**Kane POV**

As everyone stood still, Kane quickly grabbed the two sisters' hands, and headed towards the cellar:

-Grandpa, can we use the shelter, please?

Understanding the situation, the old man nodded, and after making sure that the door of the cellar was closed, Kane let go of the sisters, turning to face a part of the cellar's wall that looked nothing different from the others, however, as he pushed a hidden button, said part of the wall opened, letting everyone in the room see a hidden staircase.

_My grandfather is the type of person to make sure things are safe, even if it means going a little overboard. I found this entrance when I was ten, as I was playing here while my parents were talking to him._

Carefully getting down the metallic stairs, he set foot on a simple wooden floor. Apparently, since the last time he had come there, his grandfather had greatly changed the shelter.

It was a now a huge room with concrete walls, and several doors could be seen, each one of them leading to a little bedroom. However, the floor was now covered by a wooden surfacing, and the walls, that Kane remembered without decoration, were now elegantly covered by a few paintings, and reinforced. In the center of the room, a few tables could be found, elegantly and cleverly disposed to make the best possible use of the space.

Impressed, Kane couldn't help but whistle in admiration of the work his grandfather had accomplished. The shelter was now not only a safe place, but he had managed to make it look comfortable, which was quite impressive, considering that old shelters were made simply for a practical use, and were never meant to look like anything else than they were: massive rooms of concrete, used to protect as many people as possible from a possible nuclear fallout.

_This is the "shelter" you've told us about? True, it looks like nobody will disturb us here. Stryss will be able to mold in peace._

Hearing a strange sound, Kane turned to see the alien starting to spit resin of a part of the wall, quickly creating a half-open cocoon, into which she got into, before closing it with some additional resin.

_Good night, _she said, just before completely closing her now fully prepared cocoon. It was now a structure around ten feet tall, pitch black, reminding Kane of the one the two sisters used to immobilize Lily the day before. To the touch, it was neither warm nor cold, a little moist, and it felt extremely resilient, not that Kane would try to test it anyway.

_So, how long will it take her to mold? _he asked to K'tyss, who was looking around the shelter.

_I don't know. We don't measure time constantly like humans, so it's hard for me to tell. Plus, it's the first time I see her molding, so I have no idea of how long it'll take. However, I'd say less than a day. It will be longer if she molds into a Princess Guardian later, however._

_What's a "Princess Guardian"? _he asked, not remembering having heard this word from her.

_It's one of the highest ranks we can hope to evolve into, as only the Queens of our species are more powerful and respected. They are the ones who can potentially become a Queen, and if one of them is already nearby, they are her protectors. They are much bigger and strong than the regular members of our species, and they have absolute authority on lesser ranked members of our kind, as their will is the will of the Queen._

Interested, Kane urged her to continue, as he sat on one of the chairs near the tables. K'tyss, for her part, was still looking around, sometimes taking a peek into the bedrooms.

_Our species has developed a very effective way of evolving, as when given the proper conditions, nearly any member of our kind can evolve into a Queen, apart from the Seekers and the Patrollers._

_As I told you before, our kind keeps a few traits from the host we are born. That means that most of the time, when a non-sentient host is impregnated, it only gives birth to a Patroller. They are the lowest ranked of our kind, and they are not very intelligent, nor particularly tough, however, they can run faster than any other rank, and are very effective scouts. That is when the host is non-sentient. If the host is sentient, most of the time, the birthed one is a Worker, like Stryss, but sometimes a Warrior is birthed instead. The Workers are, after the Patrollers, the lowest of our kind. They are always taller than humans, and they can easily take out a trained human, in most of the cases. The can walk on walls, like any other one of us, they can bend steel, and they are often sent to gather hosts, as the Patrollers tend to kill rather than bring them to the Hive alive._

_After these types, who are often used to keep the Hive active by gathering hosts and food, comes the Warriors. They are evolved Workers, and they can be recognized by their ridged skull, as the Workers can be by their smooth one. They are stronger than Workers, tougher, and a little taller. They are the ones who fight, who protect the Hive against intruders, along with the Workers. They are also usually cleverer than them, and they can easily make the Workers set traps, or set them themselves._

_When a Warrior has proven to be of exceptional talent, the Queen can choose to make him/her evolve into a Prince/Princess Guard, or he/she can evolve by himself/herself if there is no Queen around. That way, we can be sure that one of us isolated from any Hive, can create one on his/her own. They are taller than Warriors, way tougher, as their skin can protect them against most weapons, and very intelligent. They also have huge telepathic abilities, and are capable of communicating with any sentient species the same way than they do with the rest of their Hive. Most of the time, however, they kill on sight any intruder, as their sole purpose is to protect the Queen, and any intruder capable of getting so far away inside a Hive is a potential threat._

_Last come the Queens. They are the ultimate form our kind can take, as all the higher ranks/types are simply variations of the Queen. They are enormous, as they keep growing their whole life. The youngest Queens are often twice the size of a Worker, meaning that any human who would be mad enough to fight one would die in a matter of seconds. They are extremely intelligent, and possess even greater telepathic abilities than the Prince/Princess Guards. When there is enough hosts around, they develop an egg sack and stop moving, simply laying the eggs containing the Impregnaters, the one who will effectively lay an embryo inside a living host._

Thoughtful, Kane thought about what he had just been told. It was an interesting fact to know the organization of the sisters' species, as it showed how well they had evolved. While humans could procreate at will, possibly meaning their children would starve, their kind could only start reproducing if enough hosts were around, meaning at the same time food. While they entirely depended on hosts, it allowed them to avoid strains like giving birth to a baby with a low chance of survival. And the hosts corpses could be used as food after they had "given birth" to the alien larval stage, that K'tyss had told him about a few days ago.

_What about you, K'tyss? What rank are you? You told me Stryss is a Worker, but you didn't say anything about yourself._

Hearing a sudden screech, he turned around to see four long notches in the concrete of the wall, as K'tyss had her hand on it. Her claws had easily dug into the supposed tough material, an easy task for them, who could pierce armored steel.

_Is something wrong? K'tyss?_

As she didn't answer, he stood up, but before he could walk to her, she screamed:

_DON'T MOVE!_

Staring at her in disbelief, he took a step:

_I TOLD YOU, DON'T MOVE! DON'T COME NEAR ME!_ she screamed, clutching her shoulders in her hands and crouching, her tail moving violently.

_What's wrong? _he asked, worried about her strange behavior. _Is it about what I asked? If so, you don't have to answer, it's fine. I don't want to hurt you, you know that._

_SHUT UP!SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! I don't want to hear you! I don't want you to see me like this! _she continued, shivering violently. _WHY do you always have to ask_ me _things like this? WHY?!_

Staring in blank amazement at his friend, Kane was lost. How could a simple question have caused her to overreact that much? However, as he was wondering, he eventually came to the conclusion that he had no choice but to ask her himself, and disregarding his friend's warning, he started walking to her.

Immediately, she leapt on him, throwing him against the wall and maintaining his arms in her grip. Even though she was smaller than him, she could have easily broken his bones if she wanted to, so the scene was quite awkward. However, given how K'tyss was acting, Kane was all but disposed to point it out.

Her face was red, and tears were trailing down her cheeks, and she was looking extremely angry.

_WHY? WHY DON'T YOU LISTEN? WHY did you have to ask me what rank I am? I don't know! I don't even know WHAT I am! Can I even be considered as from the same species than my sister? I was trying to forget these questions, yet you simply brought them out, like that, without a care in the world!_

She was shouting in his mind and hissing angrily in his ears, yet what Kane truly saw was her fears. She was spilling them out after keeping them locked inside her, as far as she could lock them away. She was letting out whatever she kept to her for all the years she had been locked in the lab, and it was like a waterfall, it just wouldn't stop.

_I always did my best, I always did what I needed to live, I always tried to forget I _wasn't_ like my sister. I don't even know what to call myself! I'm not human, I'm not like my sister, so WHAT am I?! I even have _his_ blood inside of me, it makes me sick! I can't be considered like anything else than a freak, a failed experiment! If I even had a use, I don't know it! What was I born for? I don't know! Do you know how it feels to know you live only because someone decided to mess with Nature?! Do I even have the right to live?!_

As she was screaming, hissing and crying, Kane could only look at her. He understood, at least partly, how she felt. How many times had he wondered what was _wrong_ with him, with his sight, why nobody else could see the world like he did. The only thing that kept him going when he was brooding was to know he had a loving sister here for him. The same could have been same for K'tyss, but as she loved her sister, Stryss' physical appearance only showed how different they were. Each time she looked at her sister had been a reminder of the very reason they were born.

Spontaneously, he did the only thing he could think of doing with his arms restrained: he kissed her. Her lips were moist, and had the taste of salt and of something else that he couldn't pinpoint. While kissing her, he sent her calming thoughts, loving thoughts, he showed her everything he had kept to himself during his whole life, even the moments he wanted to forget. He showed her how he had been bullied when he was young, as we had told the wrong child about his sight, he showed her how, when he entered his current high school, everyone had avoided him for a long time, before he could finally start blending in, how lonely he felt.

At first, she tried to back off, but he insisted, and her resistance grew weak, as well as her grip on his arms, as both of them slowly slid down the wall, Kane sitting down, and K'tyss leaning over him. She was now clutching his shirt to the point of nearly tearing it off, showing amazing restraint considering how easy she could have done so. The look of extreme anger she had was gone, leaving her with a desperate face, a desperate _beautiful _face, Kane corrected himself. Stroking her hair, he comforted her:

_It's okay. You're you. You don't have to know what you are to live your life happily, right? Besides, do you think either Stryss or myself would care about something as trivial as knowing what species you are? More so, do you think I don't feel a little the same way? I'm not human anymore, yet I'm not like your sister, the only one I look a little like is you. So basically, we can say we are "species-mates", or whatever you want to call it._

As she was still crying, he took her into a gentle embrace. She didn't move, however, her tense body started to relax a little, and she wrapped her arms behind his back, putting her head on his right shoulder.

_Don't even think of trying to look to me right now,_ she said, yet her voice tone was clearly one of a relieved and glad person.

_Glad to see you're back to your senses._

**K'tyss POV**

When Kane asked about her, her first thought was the happiness that he wanted to know more about her, however, it was immediately crushed by the realization that she simply _didn't know_ what she was. She was stronger than a Worker, she wasn't a Warrior, and she certainly wasn't a Princess Guardian, nor a Queen. Realizing that made her previous self-depreciative thoughts come back, and with them the fear that he'd see her as a monster.

Her fingers, which until then had been touching the wall, as if to test its resistance, clutched into fists, digging large scratches in the concrete as easily as if it had been butter.

_Is something wrong? K'tyss?_

Once again, he showed concern for her, even though _he _was the one who had caused her reaction. How could he so easily play with her feelings without a care in the world?

_DON'T MOVE! _she screamed, knowing that he would come to her out of worry.

Hearing the sound of a step, meaning that Kane disregarded her warning, she let her feelings take the better of her:

_I TOLD YOU, DON'T MOVE! DON'T COME NEAR ME!_

While screaming in her mind and hissing loudly, she crouched, her strength leaving her, and clutched her shoulders as tears started to trail down her cheeks. She didn't know why, she didn't know how, yet she knew it was Kane who brought these reactions out of her.

_What's wrong? _the young man asked, with genuine worry in his voice. _Is it about what I asked? If so, you don't have to answer, it's fine. I don't want to hurt you, you know that._

As he once again showed concern for her, while she was reacting like this precisely because of his question, made her mad, and at the same time, she didn't want him to see her face while it was probably contorted in anger and sadness:

_SHUT UP!SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! I don't want to hear you! I don't want you to see me like this! _she screamed, her body shivering from the fear of him seeing her in this state, and of repulsion towards herself. _WHY do you always have to ask_ me _things like this? WHY?!_

She had enough. Her life was a mess, and now even her reactions were strange. _There's something wrong with me, _she thought. _I knew it from the start, I should've died back at the lab, it would have been better for everyone._

As she was brooding she once again picked up the sound of a step, and knowing what that meant, she turned and leapt on Kane, who was a few feet behind her. Catching his arms in her hands, she held them against the wall, making sure he wouldn't do anything strange to her. He _was _ Kane, after all. His very actions were always illogical, strange and completely devoid of any kind of concern for himself.

_WHY? WHY DON'T YOU LISTEN? WHY did you have to ask me what rank I am? I don't know! I don't even know WHAT I am! Can I even be considered as from the same species than my sister? I was trying to forget these questions, yet you simply brought them out, like that, without a care in the world!_

She was losing foot, her feelings spilling out of her too fast for her to organize them into any kind of logical structure.

_I always did my best, I always did what I needed to live, I always tried to forget I _wasn't_ like my sister. I don't even know what to call myself! I'm not human, I'm not like my sister, so WHAT am I?! I even have _his_ blood inside of me, it makes me sick! I can't be considered like anything else than a freak, a failed experiment! If I even had a use, I don't know it! What was I born for? I don't know! Do you know how it feels to know you live only because someone decided to mess with Nature?! Do I even have the right to live?!_

That was it. The bottom of the dark pit of her deepest unconscious fears, the very core of her fear. Was she even allowed to live? She was scared of the answer, terrified even. What if he considered her like a freak, a monster whose very existence was not allowed? He was one of the very few whose opinion of her mattered to her. She knew her sister considered her like a true sister, even though they weren't really siblings, but she didn't know how Kane was seeing her, apart from the obvious fact that at the very least he considered her like a friend.

A soft sensation made her snap back to reality, as Kane was currently pressing his lips against hers. Dumbfounded, she tried to back off, but he didn't let her do so, and kept their lips together. By the same time, she could see scenes of his life, scenes of being bullied, scenes of loneliness, followed by more lively ones, all of which had been with her sister and her. With the scenes, she also experienced a warm feeling, soft and comforting, and she knew it was his feelings for her. _You're very precious to me_, was the underlying message, and with it, Kane had given her the answer to her previous question. If her sister and him considered her a dear member of their family, and someone dear to them, how could she not feel she had the right to live?

Giving up the struggle, she enjoyed the feeling of being needed, of being _loved_ by someone she had recognized not only as an equal, but as someone who deserved her respect for his unending care for others, for his kindness and for who he was, simply. She clutched his shirt, careful not to tear it off, as her strength would have easily allowed her to if she had wanted to, and leaned over him, as he slid down the wall and sat down. Her tears were now tears of happiness, of bliss, as she was certain about the fact that soon, she would ask him to be her mate. Now was not the time, with all that was happening in his life, to disturb him further, however, sooner or later, things would settle down, and that would be when she'd ask him.

While he was stroking her hair, he told her, in his most gentle, comforting voice:

_It's okay. You're you. You don't have to know what you are to live your life happily, right? Besides, do you think either Stryss or myself would care about something as trivial as knowing what species you are? More so, do you think I don't feel a little the same way? I'm not human anymore, yet I'm not like your sister, the only one I look a little like is you. So basically, we can say we are "species-mates", or whatever you want to call it._

Crying her heart out, she didn't say anything, and he brought her in a tender embrace, as she rested her head on his shoulder, simply enjoying his presence, his scent, which reminded her of her sister, his warmth, everything that made Kane himself.

Embracing him herself, she muttered in an embarrassed, yet relieved and happy tone:

_Don't even think of trying to look to me right now, _as she was now overly concerned about her look, which must have been quite awful at the moment.

_Glad to see you're back to your senses, _he said, in a happy tone.

For a while, neither of them moved, as they simply enjoyed the presence of the other, in a place nobody would disturb them, a safe place in the world of madness that awaited them outside of the house doors. Nothing could be heard, apart from their breathing, Kane's quick one, and K'tyss slow, calm one.

Finally, after an eternity, she stood up, separating herself from Kane, and turned her back to him in embarrassment.

_Thanks for this, Kane. It means a lot to me. Also, I'm sorry about earlier. It's just...not knowing who or what I was terrified me, I felt as if I didn't deserve to be with Stryss and you. But now, I understand that no matter who I am, I will be myself, and stay with you and Stryss until the end._

Blushing again, she started walking to her sister's cocoon, only to feel a warm hand on her shoulder.

_Don't worry, you'll always be our family. And I should also thank you, since I kinda felt the same way as you, but I didn't want to acknowledge it. Seeing you like this, well...It made me realize that I was myself, and that I should be proud of that. I've always been quite alone, with very few friends, because I couldn't bear the fear of the possibility of losing them. But now, I have two very precious people in my life, so...I feel like I finally have a purpose, something to live for._

Kane had stood up and crept on her from behind, and she could feel his gratitude and then realized what he had just said, and she felt overjoyed. Her tail started wiggling happily, and her heartbeat accelerated.

-Sorry for being late, everyone!

And then Erik entered the shelter, not having a clue of what had just happened.

An hour later, and after explaining what they wanted to Erik, he gave his consent to K'tyss for her to melt through the shelter's wall, allowing her to create an entrance to the city's sewers.

As she went to the place he indicated after taking a look to some papers, she started concentrating, and then began spitting acid on the concrete, making it melt easily, with both Erik and Kane staring, the former because he had some difficulties to believe she could spit acid, and the latter because he wanted to see just how powerful her acid was. And indeed, powerful it was, as in a few minutes, she had melted a hole allowing someone as tall as her sister to go through the wall to one of the conducts of the sewers.

-Impressive, K'tyss! Erik said, looking amazed at her work, with an ecstatic look on his face. I didn't think you could do something like this! I don't know how you produce your acid, but this stuff is way more powerful than anything I know!

With a happy grin, she turned to look at Kane, who had been oddly silent ever since his grandfather had come in, only speaking when he had to. He was looking at her with a thoughtful look on his face, but he quickly composed himself when he noticed she was looking at him.

_Kane, is something wrong? You haven't said anything since earlier._

_Well, I have something I'd like to speak about with you tonight, when we'll be home. Is it alright? I know you don't want to be away from Stryss, but...Nah, never mind. We'll talk about it when she'll have finished molding. It can wait until then._

She sighed. _Even when he has something important to speak about, he still thinks more about me than himself. I think I'll have to tell him about this bad habit of his, too, when we'll talk about this important topic._

Thinking about something, she turned to face Erik, who was still looking at the hole in the shelter's wall.

_I'll try to make you able to communicate with us, Erik._

As he didn't move, she noticed that Kane hadn't translated what she had just said, and turned to ask him to do so, when she saw him with a hand before his mouth, with sweat trailing down his forehead.

_Kane!_

Running to his side, she put a hand on his forehead, only to quickly take it off, as he was burning. He tried to push her aside with a move of his hand meaning, "I'm fine, thank you.", but even then he couldn't do so.

_What's wrong?_

_Nothing. I just feel a little sick, that's all. I guess that staying outside in the cold yesterday didn't do me any well. But I'm fine, don't worry._

_You're obviously NOT fine! Why didn't you tell me anything about this earlier? _she asked, pissed off by his laid-back answer.

_Well, I've been fine since this morning, I've been feeling sick only for the past ten minutes, and at first it wasn't much, but it simply got worse over time._

Noticing that something was happening, Erik turned to see her lift Kane in her arms bridal style, with a panicked look on her face.

-What's wrong? Hey, Kane, what's going on? You don't look very well.

She was going to answer in Kane's stead, however, before she could do anything, he started shivering violently, causing her to shift her attention from Erik to Kane. He was starting to sweat even more, and his clothes quickly got drenched, while his breathing started to get quicker.

With a panicked look on her face, she turned to Erik, who quickly ran to her, having noticed that something was off.

-Hey, Kane! What's wrong? Holy shit! He's burning! I've got to call a doctor!

However, as he started to rush to the stairs, K'tyss grabbed him after lying Kane down. She understood what he was going to do, and it would only get them in more trouble.

-Hey, K'tyss! Let me go! I've got to get some help!

-It would be a bad idea, grandpa.

Both K'tyss and Erik turned to look at Kane, who was obviously looking at them, with a weak smile, although he had his eyes closed. He was still lying down, but it looked like his breathing had gotten better, even though he was still sweating a lot.

-Calling a doctor would only get us into more trouble. You remember when you asked why _I_ could understand what they said, while you couldn't? There's a reason why, of course, although it seems that I already was predisposed to understand them. It got better after a certain accident, however, so I'm willing to say that it's because I'm not a one hundred percent human anymore that I can understand them.

As K'tyss noticed the look of incredulity on Erik's face, she saw Kane starting to remove his surgical bands.

_Kane? What are you doing? I thought you didn't want people to know about this!_

_It's pointless to try and hide it from everyone, K'tyss. It's better if I hide it from others at school, but it doesn't mean I have to keep it from my own grandfather. However, I will not tell my sister about it, no matter how hard you ask me to._

As they were talking, the bands eventually fell off, revealing Kane's arms, as well as the pitch black exoskeleton they were made of. His fingers, twice the size of any ordinary human one, were very thin, and at the same time, held a frightening destructive power, K'tyss knew it well, as she had just the same fingers.

K'tyss heard Erik's sudden gasp of surprise. It was understandable that he was shocked: his own grandson had just showed him he wasn't really a human anymore, and what's more, that he was mutating into something that most humans, safe for a few, would consider a monster.

-What in the deepest pits of hell the shit happened to you, Kane?

-Good question...I wish I had the answer...

As he talked, Kane suddenly retched, vomiting his stomach's content, and to K'tyss' horror, a lot of blood. Screaming in pain, he turned around, his body shaking violently, under the two spectators' horrified sight. With a violent scream, two dark, pointed extensions pierced his elbows, while his teeth were falling off, replaced by long, sharp ones, similar to her own.

As suddenly that his crisis had started, it wore off, leaving Kane panting, full of sweat and apparently exhausted, seeing how he simply lied down, without even trying to move.

Recovering from what she had seen, K'tyss hurriedly composed herself and ran to his side, checking on him. With a relieved sigh, she felt his bodily heat cool down to a normal level, while his breathing was heavy, yet not to the point of being difficult.

-What the fuck just happened?!

An angry Erik pushed her aside, grabbing Kane by the collar, without him opposing any resistance. She hissed a warning, by he didn't seem to care.

-Answer me! What just happened to you?!

-Well, it looks like I just...mutated a little more.

-That's the only thing you can say?! How can you be so calm?! You could very well have _died_, you idiot!

K'tyss could see that he was angry, not for himself, but for his grandson, however, said grandson didn't look very pleased by his grandfather's tone, as he grabbed both his arms, and easily made him let go of his collar.

-I am calm because there's nothing to be done about it, that's all. Besides, please do not call me idiot, when I am the one to fully feel how it is to have my body change. I am fairly sure that you don't want the same thing to happen to you, grandpa.

Turning to K'tyss he gave her an awkward smile, between affection and self-derision, before saying:

_Well, I think I'll be heading home. But before that, can you try the thing you told me about, to see if my grandpa can communicate with you?_

_Are you sure you want to go home in your state? What if you have another crisis?_

Shrugging, he answered:

_Well, I'll see what happens then. It's not like I have control over it, anyway. And I can't stay here for the night, otherwise, Kathryn will get suspicious. She was already ready to call the police when I got back home yesterday, so I don't think I should pull anything else that'd make her worry._

With a last glance at him, she turned to Erik, who had been looking at them the whole time, with a worried look in his eyes. She then walked to him, and grabbed his head, much to his surprise, before Kane explained what she was doing, after what he let her do as she pleased.

Concentrating, she tried to "tune" her mind, as it was some kind of radio, to see if she could break through Erik mind, which was, like most humans', protected by some kind of wall. However, as she did so, she started to understand where she had to "push" to get her words through, and after a few tries, she sensed something.

_Erik, do you hear me? Hello?_

Judging by the jump he made, she was fairly sure he had understood her, and after a few seconds, she heard an answer:

_K'tyss? Is that your voice? Interesting. Hello._

With relief, she let go of his head, and once again tried to communicate with him:

_Hello, my name's K'tyss. Once again, pleased to meet you._

_The pleasure's mine. Meeting your sister and yourself is like a dream coming true._

_Great, now that you can communicate, I'll be going home. Grandpa, I'll come back tomorrow. Meanwhile, I'd like you to find a map of the city's sewers if you can, it'll be easier for us to walk around that way._

Turning to face his grandson, he looked at him with a strange light in his eyes, something that she couldn't pinpoint, but to her surprise, it seemed to be envy. While she had been tuning her mind, he had put his bands back on, but he now had two blades coming from his elbows to hide, and it looked strange, but not enough to be noticed from afar.

_Don't worry. I've had one since I bought this shelter, and I regularly update it._

_Fine. By the way, if you want to feed K'tyss, I suggest raw beef. She loves it._

_Kane! _she screamed, flustered.

However, Erik smiled, and patted her.

_Don't worry. Leave her to this old man, and go home safely._

With a last look behind, the young man left, but within a brief moment, she noticed a glance towards her, with a strange look in his eyes, something more than affection.

_Am I imagining things?_

However, as Erik enthusiastically called her, she had no choice but to forget about it. For the moment...

* * *

**Well, that was unexpected. Maybe we'll have a couple in the next few chapters? Even I don't know. **

**I hope it was good enough for you all, who read this story. I expect to make a few...interesting chapters in the next few weeks. Now that things are in place, the gears of fate can start turning, and things will start breaking down.  
**

**And as usual: thanks to you, the ones reading this story. You may be anonymous, or not, but I appreciate every single one of you. I hope you'll read this through its end.  
**

**See you all next week end!  
**


	14. Chapter 14-Earth tourism

**Hello everyone! Looks like the end of the world didn't happen( well it's better that way, I wouldn't like to leave a story unfinished). So, first of all: happy new year! I hope this year's first chapter will please you!**

**Now, starting from this chapter, we'll have Stryss POV. Until now, she hadn't been fully exploited, so I hope she'll be an interesting add to the story.  
**

* * *

##I don't own Alien, Predator or AVP##

14

Earth tourism

**Kane POV**

After going home, Kane went to his bathroom, and took of his bands, who were now unusable, since the two pointed parts that pierced his elbows earlier had dug massive holes in them. Said talons were around four inches, in the same dark color than the exoskeleton covering his arms, and their edges weren't sharp, however, striking someone with enough force would make them dangerous weapons.

What was worrying him was that now, even should he use bands, it would be difficult to conceal. And these talons weren't even his first concern. Sticking out his tongue, which was now a good five inches long, he looked at his now sharp, glass-like teeth. When he had spitted his old teeth, these ones had immediately grown to replace them. Each one of them was long, very sharp, and even if they were transparent, as if made of glass, they were extremely resilient, he could feel it.

Trying to make a smile, he barely managed to give his reflect a menacing grin, his new teeth giving him the looks of a man-shaped predator. _It's getting harder and harder to hide these changes, _he lamented._ How long will it be before people start becoming suspicious of me? The guy who's always wearing bands and gloves, keeping his eyes closed, and never speaking. Guess I'll have to be careful not to open my mouth too wide, otherwise, it may become awkward._

With a sight, he changed into his pajamas, and went to bed. Even though he wasn't really tired, he wanted to rest a little, and besides, he had told Kathryn he was sick, so he should as well try to play the act.

A few hours later, after a little nap, which helped him recover from the painful changes his body had experienced earlier, he heard the door open and close, meaning his sister was home. He then heard quick footsteps, and a few moments later, Kathryn barged into his room.

-What's wrong? he asked, his mind still clouded by sleep.

-You won't believe me! Lily's been abducted yesterday!

-What?! he asked, trying to sound convincing. After all, he knew well about the story, since he was part of it.

-Yeah! Yesterday evening, she's been discovered near her house, her clothes in a mess, and apparently she's been unable to say anything ever since. They think she's been abused, but she doesn't seem to have told them anything about it. You said yesterday that you left her around Treehouse Road, right?

-Yeah...

-Then she must had been abducted immediately after! Did anyone suspicious talk to you?

-Not that I can remember...Then again, I highly doubt that if anyone abducted her, they'd go out of their way to talk to a blind person. I left her there around 6:00 pm, and as I told you, I went to jog a little in the hills, but I lost track of time, so I got home late.

Getting on his bed, his sister hugged him tightly.

-Hey, what's the big deal? I'm okay, right? A little sick, but fine.

-I'm just glad that didn't get into trouble. I don't know what I'd do if the same thing happened to you.

Rubbing his neck, he awkwardly hugged her back.

-You'd do just fine. I know you enough to tell that you'd never let it take the best of you. And I don't want you to worry that much about me. One day, after I finish my studies, or maybe earlier, I'll go far away, and then you'll have to make your life by yourself. And even if I appreciate to have such a cute and loving sister, I want you to live your life for yourself, not for me. Hell, for what we know, I could die tomorrow if a car ran over me or anything similar.

Kathryn looked shocked by the idea. _Does she really loves me that much? I'm sure normal sisters don't care that much for their older brothers. Is there something I'm missing?_ he thought.

-Well, that's only an hypothesis. I'm not trying to commit suicide, so I'm fairly sure I'll still be here for a long time.

_Or at least as long as I can, which may not be that long, given how the changes in my body keep increasing, _he thought. _It's a shame, but given how things are going, I don't even know if I'll be able to stay until Christmas. Halloween won't be a problem, since people will only see me as someone wearing a very well-done costume, but I don't think I'll be able to hide any more changes, and the differences between a human body and mine are already too noticeable._

-Kane? You're spacing off.

As he was brooding, Kathryn had sat on the bed beside him. She was looking at his face with concern, and she was fairly close to him, too close for him to bear. He innocently lied down, trying to hide his embarrassment, as well as his all-too obvious new physical features.

-Yeah...Guess I'm still sleepy.

A fresh hand suddenly touched his forehead, surprising him.

-You don't look like you have a fever...I'd even say that you're a little too cold.

Shoving his sister's hand off, he quickly distanced himself from her, as he didn't want her to have another reason to worry. However, that proved to be a mistake, as she looked like she was about to cry.

-Hey, what's wrong? he asked, concerned.

-You're asking me what's wrong? You're acting weird, Kane! First, you suddenly decide to wear surgical bands on your arms, then you keep your eyes closed, and now you're avoiding me! I'm not stupid, Kane! I know you're hiding something!

He swallowed. Apparently, he wasn't doing such a good job to hide his changes, and she had noticed it. Now, he had to quickly find something to say, something credible, that may make her forget about it, or at least, that would make her stop wondering what he was hiding.

-Yeah, looks like I'm not really suited for keeping secrets. Listen, I know you're worrying about me, but...Well, it's my own business, and I don't want to drag you in it. And before you ask, I'm fine, so please, stop this habit of worrying over every little thing that involve me. I'm older than you, so it should be the other way around.

Frowning, Kathryn stood up, and without a word, left the room. _Guess I upset her. Well, it's better that way. At least she'll start making her own life._

A little sad, he got back under his sheets, feeling that another nap would help him forget everything for the time being.

**K'tyss POV**

Now that Erik had left her with her sister, K'tyss had all the time she needed to think, without anyone butting in. Even though Kane's grandfather was kind, he was also very talkative and curious, and sometimes he had asked things that were none of his business. Fortunately, after having made clear that she would not always answer his questions, and that she was not in the mood to be interrogated, he had left her, but not before bringing her some raw beef.

She was now currently exploring the shelter, as she was curious about why humans would build such a big, uncomfortable thing. For what she had seen in the few houses she had been in (Kane's, the abandoned one where he had been dragged, and his grandfather's), humans seemed to like living in comfortable places, and the shelter, even though it had been converted into something comfortable, it was obviously not what had been planned at first.

After a while, she grew tired of always seeing the same things, no matter how many rooms she visited, so she stopped. Instead, she chose to think about what had happened between Kane and her earlier. Before, she hadn't been sure about it, because too many things were completely new to her, and that she didn't have the time to think about it too much, but now, after what had happened, it became obvious to her that she loved him. No matter how she thought about it, the fact that merely thinking about him when he embraced her was enough to make her heart race, the blush she felt every time she thought about him...Everything was clear: she was in love with Kane. At least, she knew why she was in love with him: he was so different from other humans, so caring, so kind, that she simply couldn't think about a reason why she _shouldn't_ be in head over heels for him.

Anyway, until then, she hadn't been _sure_ about her feelings, but what she had been the most afraid of was the possibility of being rejected, and now she was starting to understand that maybe she should try to ask Kane about it. Seeing how he had comforted her, what he had said about her sister and herself being "precious" to him, and the few glances he had given her, she was ready to bet he too was interested in her. Besides, and as he had said, they were probably the only ones of their kind in the whole universe, so it was understandable that they felt attracted by each other, given the circumstances.

A tickling sensation in the back of her mind made her come back to reality. Looking to her sister's cocoon, she felt her slowly awoken, as her new self. Coming closer to the structure on the wall, she sat before it, knowing that she would have to wait for long. And indeed, a few minutes later, a cracking sound could be heard from it, as the occupant was trying to get out, breaking the resin protection she had set herself.

The first thing to appear was a hand with four fingers, quickly followed by a second, splitting open the last remnants of the cocoon. Stryss was now taller from at least a feet, and her body, which while she was a Worker, was quite thin, was now a little more muscular, and her head, which until then had been smooth, was now ridged. The talons coming from her elbows were also bigger, making her much more dangerous in a fight.

_Congratulations, sister, _K'tyss greeted her.

_Thank you, K'tyss._

_So, how does it feel?_ she asked, dying to know how it felt, since she had never molded, and would probably never do so.

As Stryss took a few steps, quickly adapting to the changes of her body, she answered:

_I feel...good. Well, even better than good! I feel I could run for hours without having to rest! Besides, I feel like I see the world much more clearly, as if I was cleverer. It's hard to put into words._

Dismissing it with a move of her hand, she walked up to K'tyss:

_So, what do we do now?_ she asked.

_Well, Kane said...Oh yes, wait! Before we do anything, I have to tell you: Kane has mutated again._

Deadly serious, Stryss listened to her sister, who explained what had happened since she had started molding.

_I see,_ she said, when K'tyss had finished her story._ What you just told me is worrying, since this time he hasn't done anything particular before his crisis. Do you think it could be a late aftereffect of giving him the Royal Jelly yesterday?_

She shook her head.

_I don't think so. Why would he react only now? I know it's the most plausible cause, but I don't see why it would have had so little effect. I'd expect Kane to have at least grown a tail by now, if it was the real cause. However, since we don't know why he started mutating in the first place, I guess we can't say anything._

Stryss looked displeased.

_It's frustrating! He is doing so much for us, but we can't even help him with this! What kind of big sister am I, if I can't even help my family when there's the need!_

K'tyss understood her sister's pain, and simply rubbed her chin.

_You know how he is. He would rather die than ask for our help. Besides, I'm sure that he doesn't want us to know too much about it. When it happened, he tried to push me away rather than asking me for help, saying that it was nothing. If it hadn't been that bad, I bet he would never have told me about it._

_That's all the more reason to help him! _Stryss hissed. She was looking fairly agitated for someone who seemed to dislike Kane at first. _If he doesn't tell us anything, then how are we supposed to help him when he needs it!_

K'tyss smiled. She was starting to understand that she wasn't the only one the young man had an effect on.

_You seem awfully concerned for him, even though a few days ago, you insisted on the fact that he wasn't someone we should rely on._

_That was before! It has nothing to do with now!_

_Before what? _she asked, teasingly. For once, she wanted to make a little fun of her sister.

_You know, before! _Stryss said, apparently not wanting to explain her thoughts.

_I don't know if you don't tell me, _she countered, enjoying the panic her sister was starting to get in.

_Before he protected me with his life! Here! Are you satisfied now?!_

Stryss was starting to get angry, since she wasn't used to be teased. That was easy to see, given how she was growling (a sound so faint that even if a human was to be right beside her, he/she wouldn't hear it) and how her tail was wiggling around.

Chuckling, K'tyss rubbed her sister's chin, earning herself a half-pleased, half-angry purr.

_Sorry, I just couldn't help it. You were acting so funny, I just wanted to play with you a little._

_It wasn't funny! _ the alien growled, displeased. However, her anger didn't last long, as she was unable to stay angry with her sister.

_Sorry, _she apologized. _So, what do you want to do? Kane said he was coming back tomorrow. Should we just wait for him?_

Tilting her head, Stryss smiled.

_I have a better idea. Since he told us we could use the sewers to get to his house, why don't we do so? I want to ask him for a guided tour of his school. What do you think?_

Thrilled by the idea, K'tyss nodded.

_Good idea! But do you think he'll agree with it?_

Smiling devilishly, Stryss went for the hole conducting to the sewers.

_I never said I was going to _ask_ him for it._

**Stryss POV**

Getting into the sewer's conduct, she crouched, and turning her head around, she tried to pinpoint Kane's location, an easy task for her, as his mental signature was unlike any other one on this planet. That had to do with his unique nature, similar to the one of her younger sister. Even thought he was mostly human, his body still had features normally found only in her kind, and that made his mind different from "pure" human ones.

Hearing a sound behind her, she didn't turn around, as she sensed it was her sister following her. She seemed quite interested in getting a tour of Kane's school, but as an older sister, she couldn't help but notice that she was probably happier about the idea of seeing Kane than the idea of having him give them a guided tour.

_I guess she's of age to find a mate now. Not that she would have had the time to do so before, given how the life in the lab was...Well, at least, it's Kane we're talking about, so he'll probably never do anything to hurt her, _she thought. However, while thinking so, she remembered how flustered she herself had been when K'tyss had brought Kane up. _Could it be that I also have a thing for him? No way. He's just a human. Well, it's true that he saved my life, but even then, why would I ever be interested in him? I know he's the only male to have our species characteristics on this planet, but still... _

Snapping back to reality, she decided to keep that kind of thoughts for when she'd have time, now not being the moment to think about relationships. Picking up the signature she needed, she crouched, getting on all fours, and started running on the sewer's walls. She picked up rattling sounds, meaning that K'tyss was following her, and accelerated, reaching her full-speed.

Now going as fast as a car, she didn't seem bothered by the awful smell coming from the city's waste, although she made sure not to touch anything. Even though the walls were moist, the two sisters didn't have any difficulty to run on them, as all they needed was a support to run on, no matter how difficult it would have been for a human being to walk on it.

From time to time, they encountered little rodents, who fled, squealing from the terror of sensing them. Fortunately for them, K'tyss had kept her a piece of beef, so she wasn't hungry at the moment, otherwise she may have tried to catch some of them for a meal. Quickly wandering through the maze of conducts, choosing their path as easily as if they had known every last part of the sewers, the two aliens reached their destination in no time at all.

Making sure nobody was around, Stryss opened the manhole, getting her body through it easily, as her kind was extremely supple, a convenient thing when it came to gathering unwilling hosts. Looking around, she found herself in a big room, filled with plenty of unused gardening material. A few shelves were covered by old boxes, while packed clothes were lined on the ground.

Even if the room was pitch black, she could see it as if it had been plain day, from the shelves on the walls, to the clothes on the ground, every little detail appeared in her sight. Kane's house's cellar was a big, covered in dust room, a good indicator of how often it was used.

Looking around to make sure nobody was around, she carefully opened the door to the corridor, with K'tyss behind her. Apparently, neither Kane or Kathryn were around, the former being in his room, their objective, while the latter was in the bathroom. Quickly getting upstairs, they stopped before Kane's door.

_Kane, it's us. Open this door before your sister gets out of the bathroom!_

The answer, which was quick, was something far too vulgar to be told in that day and hour, as footsteps could be heard, quickly coming to the door, who opened to let them into Kane's room.

Once both of them were inside, he closed the door, while Stryss examined him. K'tyss had been right when she said he had mutated once again, as she could tell that his smell was starting to resemble K'tyss', and that even hidden, the two huge talons on his elbows were quite easy to spot.

_What the heck are you thinking, coming here at this hour?! I told you I was going to come back tomorrow, why didn't you wait?!_ he exploded, his fingers made into fists, and shaking with rage.

_Because we didn't feel safe! I was worried about you, being all alone like this, besides, it's not as if we had been spotted, we used the sewers, like you suggested us to._

Kane looked a little calmer upon hearing this, however, he still looked angry.

_Well, at least you were careful, but what will my grandfather say when he sees you're gone? Because I suppose you didn't tell him you were coming here?_

She quickly dismissed the thought.

_Don't worry, he'll never know about it, since we'll be back tomorrow. Besides, K'tyss suggested that for today, he should leave her alone, since she didn't know when I'd finish molding._

Kane looked at her, up the look on his face, she asked:

_What?_

_Well, I don't know if it's just me, but what you just said was as easy to understand than anything K'tyss would say, rather than like being spoken by a child. I think I can finally understand everything you say, rather than picking up a childlike speech._

Looking questioningly to K'tyss, her only answer being a shrug, meaning "Hey, I don't know why either."

_It's better that way. I didn't really like to talk when the only thing you could get from me were childlike sentences. It gave me the feeling you'd see me like someone retarded._

_Well, I would _probably_ have had this feeling if I had to hold conversations with you. No offense. So, now that this is said, why are you here? I get you didn't come here for the pleasure of seeing my beautiful face, right?_

With a grin, she took a glance at K'tyss. _Well, some of us did come here to see you..._she thought to herself.

Grinning even more, she walked up to Kane, and without a word, picked him up.

_Whoa! What are you doing?! _he asked, starting to panic.

_You see, we thought that you'd like to show us around your school, since right now is the only moment were nobody is there._

_Are you crazy?! The building's closed, and there's a guardian!_ he said, trying to reason her.

_Do you really think that doors can keep us from entering?_

_And you, do you think humans will not wonder what happened when they'll see the doors torn open tomorrow?_

_Don't worry, we won't destroy them._

Kane sighed. She was hoping he would stop his preaching, as it was getting on her nerves. She already knew they'd have to be careful not to leave proof of their tour.

_Besides, there are security cameras, so everything we've done until now will go to waste if we're caught, _he tried, not very convinced himself apparently. He must have understood that they would not change their mind, no matter what.

_Don't worry about that, I have a little idea about it. Human devices work using what you called "electricity", right? What if we cut it?_

_Well, I guess cameras wouldn't work. I don't know if our school has an emergency generator, but I don't think so._

_Then it's settled!_ she said, throwing him on her shoulder.

Ten seconds later, they were on the neighbors' roof. While Kane was trying to break free from her grip, he was still weaker than her, and his vain attempts didn't bother her.

_So, where do we go now?_

_Like hell I'll tell you! _ Kane groaned, apparently firmly against the idea of giving them a guided tour.

However, she wasn't going to back off either. Deciding that since he wasn't cooperative, it was up to her to get to the school's building, she started jumping from roof to roof, looking around to find a building big enough to let a few hundred students (for what Kane had told her) fit inside.

As the two sisters and their groaning uncooperative package were going from one house to another, they spotted a few cars circling on the same path again and again.

_What the hell are police cars doing at this time of the night? _Kane asked to nobody in particular.

_What is the matter, Kane? _she asked, as he seemed troubled by what he had seen.

_Well, I didn't expect the police to be patrolling around the area. It's not something that ordinary. Of course, they do it every night, but usually, there are fewer cars. Today it looks like they are trying to dissuade any kind of illegal action...Oh, yeah. I get it. Great. This is just fucking great._

_Kane?_

Sighing, the young man answered, while still being carried on her shoulder:

_Kathryn told me that Lily had been found near her house, and that she was unable to say anything. At the time, I thought it was good news, since it was what I was expecting, but now, the police will be much more active at nighttime, since they'll want to prevent another "kidnapping" like Lily's one. I completely forgot that yesterday. Stupid me!_

Holding his head in anger, he looked furious of himself. That made her want to ease his burden a little, as it was wrong for him to feel obligated to protect them from everyone.

_Kane, stop bothering yourself over something like that. At the time you had a lot on your mind, so it's understandable that you couldn't think about it. Besides, they are looking for a human culprit, right? That means they won't be looking on the roofs, so we'll be safe._

That being said, she started leaping from roof to roof again. As they reached a large, old fashioned house, Kane finally spoke.

_Take left. The building's in that direction._

_Finally giving up, Kane? _she teased him.

_It's better that way. Otherwise we'll only loose time with you trying to locate it. Besides, sooner or later, I'd have to tell you where's the voltage transformer, so I might as well start helping you to get there now._

With a smile, she started running again, following Kane's lead. In a few minutes, they reached the school, illuminated by a few street lights. To a human, it would have looked ominous, the way it was lit giving it something of a haunted house, but what surprised Stryss was the number of scents still lingering around. It was as if they had stepped into a different world, as the number of smells kept on increasing. Fear, lust, sweat, and every kind of scent could be smelled from where they were, on the other side of the street.

_Pouah! Just how many people come here? And what's with all the different scents? It's like nobody feels the same way when coming here!_

_You're right,_ Kane answered._ Some people like to come here, others don't want to, some fear the others, some lust over members of the opposite sex...School's a bit of every last one of these feelings. And since there are a few hundred students here, the smell is just that worse._

**Kane POV**

After coming all the way to school, Kane was starting to get in the mood for a night tour of the school's buildings. The excitement of doing something usually forbidden to students was starting to catch up, and before long, he found himself enjoying the idea of giving them a guided tour.

First, they went to the voltage transformer, with Stryss quickly destroying it using her acid spit to be sure not to take a possible electric shock. They all had had their share of electricity messing with their bodies for the rest of their lives.

Then, making sure that electricity was effectively cut, and that the cameras wouldn't work, they entered the building using the door to the roof, an easy task for born climbers like the two sisters. Entering the school's corridors, Kane couldn't help but notice how different it was from usual, the noisy students all being in their beds, alone or with their boyfriends/girlfriends, living a normal life, even though some of them wanted to persuade themselves it wasn't the case, that their life was different from the others.

As the two sisters followed him down the corridors, they were looking around curiously, and Kane found it rather endearing to see two natural-born killers interested in something as common as lockers. Many times, they'd ask him for the use made of one object or another, and it was his pleasure to answer them. He himself enjoyed the tour, even though someone else may have found that answering a question every ten seconds would be annoying. He didn't care, as he had grown fond of the two sisters, of how naive they were about everyday life, and how mature they were about life itself. It was enjoyable to have people with whom he could speak about something else than studies and girls, and even to simply have them to talk to, as he usually didn't talk to anyone near his age, apart from a very restricted few.

Finally, they made it to his classroom (the door opened easily, as a single drop of acid dissolved its lock). The desks were at their usual place, the blackboard cleaned, and everything was ready for the class that would start the next day at 8:00 am. Of course, given that an alien at least eight feet tall was walking between the desks, and that a hybrid girl was having fun scribbling on the blackboard, it was difficult to imagine what it used to look like normally.

Stryss' tail was wiggling around, sometimes knocking a desk or two aside, while she was observing their disposition, probably trying to figure out why humans would want to be sitting all day so close to one another. However, it was K'tyss who disturbed the silence first:

_Kane, Kane! What's this?! _she asked, holding a piece of chalk in her hands with her eyes lit with curiosity. Given how the blackboard was covered with scribbles, she must had tried it already.

_It's a piece of chalk. The teachers use it to write on the blackboard-the thing behind you-, so that we can write down what they want us to learn, things like maths, biology, stuff like that._

With her eyes sparkling, K'tyss resumed her scribbling, while Kane turned to look at her sister, who was staring at a seat with a concentrated look (yes, he was able to tell).

_What are you doing? _he asked.

_Grraahhh! I can't understand how anybody would want to spend a day sitting on something so obviously uncomfortable._

_Well, remember that we don't really have a choice. As uncomfortable these seats are, we have to spend the day on them._

With a skeptical look on her face, she resumed her observation.

Later, after the two sisters had explored the classroom to their hearts content, Kane brought them to the gym.

_So, what is this room for? _Stryss asked. Apparently, now that she knew Kane could understand her as well as he did with her sister, she had started talking more.

_Well, we have our P.E classes here. We have to keep our body in a decent state, even though, some people simply can't participate. I have never been able to, since I was considered "blind", and that they feared I might hurt myself or my classmates. So my P.E lessons consisted in sitting and listening to the others have fun, even though I could see them. But I couldn't say I could see differently from others, since should someone have believed me, I would have been a study subject for scientists, as long as it would've taken for them to understand how my "sight" works._

With a regretful sight, he continued his explanation:

_Usually, we play basketball here, or we have to do some laps. Sometimes, the teacher wants us to do pushups, and that's the only time I'm glad I don't have to participate._

A sudden sound made him jump, and as he turned, he saw K'tyss coming back with a ball in her hand. She had opened the door to the storage room, and apparently taken the first ball she could find.

_So, what do I have to do to play basket? _she asked, with a grin.

Smiling, Kane explained briefly the basketball rules he knew. It was plain as day that she had done it to play with him, since he had expressed his regret of not being able to have ordinary P.E lessons.

Dribbling, he asked her to guard the basket, and he went for a shoot. Trying her best to prevent him from getting a point, she desperately moved her arms to block him, but given that she had no experience, she didn't do very well. Running to her, he avoided her easily, and jumped. With a loud sound, the ball went through the basket, before falling down and stopping after a few bounces.

_No fair! I want another try! _she pouted, as she seemed to be starting to find the game funny, if the blush on her cheeks could be considered a sign of her excitement.

For half an hour, they played basketball, Kane giving them a few tricks he had learnt while watching his classmates play. Eventually, Stryss joined the fun, and they took turns playing the attacker, the defender, and another attacker. Of course, the superior speed and strength of the aliens allowed them to dunk easily, as each time they jumped, they found themselves far higher than the basket.

They had just finished a particularly disputed match when they heard footsteps outside (having a far better hearing than humans sure was handy). Leaving the ball where it had fallen, they quickly left the gym, Stryss carrying Kane through the window they had broken to enter (being on the roof, it would be hard to find out how they had entered the gym, since people would look for _human_ intruders).

As they were running, K'tyss turned back to Kane with a wide smile on her face:

_The classrooms were shitty, but playing basketball was real fun!_

Laughing, the three of them disappeared into the night, leaving behind the buildings they had just visited, and a guardian trying to figure how people could have entered the gym.

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**I hope this chapter was enjoyable. Please review, it's always interesting to know what people think about my work (so long that they explain why they dislike it, comments like "this story is shit" aren't very helpful, luckily I haven't had one of these yet). And also thanks to you, the ones reading this story!**

**Now, next chapter should be around the same time next week. The story will soon become more...active, don't ya all!  
**


	15. Chapter 15-Mate and party

**Hello everyone! I'm back with a chapter!**

**Before saying anything, I want to apologize for not uploading anything last week, but I was quite sick, and barely able to understand anything, so I couldn't finish the chapter in time. Once again, I apologize for that.  
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**So, this chapter should be the last one before things start becoming hectic again. I hope you'll enjoy it.  
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**##I don't own Alien, Predator, or AVP.##  
**

15

Mate and party

**Kane POV**

After getting as much sleep as he could (a difficult task, given that he had gotten back around 1:00 am), Kane got up, surprised to find himself in great shape, even though he didn't sleep much. _Guess it's another advantage from not being completely human, _he thought, while taking his shower. Curiously, he had the feeling that the exoskeleton on his arms was thicker than it was before. With water running on it, he couldn't help but feel that this kind of thing was a piece of art. Resilient, yet supple, allowing the two sister's kind amazing strength, stamina and speed, it was way better than the human skin, who got cut and damaged from a lot of things, and wasn't really a good protection. Now that he himself had become a being crossing the barrier between species, he had a good idea of how different humans and aliens were. While humans relied on their numbers and intelligence to protect themselves from any kind of external aggressor, the aliens could rely on an intelligence possibly even higher, amazing learning skills (he had been taken aback by how fast the two sisters learnt human standards) and outstanding physical skills. Should there be a fight between the two species on an equal ground in terms of numbers, he had no doubt that humans would be wiped out easily.

_Hopefully, it'll never happen,_ he told himself, shivering to the thought.

Once he had finished, he quickly dried himself, and put on his bands, however, given his talons, they could not hide them very well. After thinking a little, he decided to wear a loose shirt with long sleeves, which would at least hide them.

Getting back into his bedroom, he couldn't help but feel lonely. He had been sharing his room with the two sisters since their arrival, and without their presence, he felt as if he was going back to his old self. _Well, they'll be back soon anyway, so there's no use to worry about it._

And soon indeed they came back, as at the very instant he turned away, the two sisters opened the door, rushing inside the room, closing the door and locking it. The only thing he could do for the first minutes after they entered was stare at them with his mouth wide open in shock. So, he had expected to see them after school, but apparently they decided to come back earlier instead, probably through the sewers. The funny thing was that he wasn't even angry at them for coming back earlier. _Though they came through the sewers, they don't smell at all, _a part of him noticed.

While he was still staring at them, K'tyss approached him, and waved her hand before his eyes, as if to make sure he wasn't dead. Snapping back to reality, he instinctively avoided looking at her, a "gentlemanly" reflex, since from where she was, he had her bare breasts in plain sight. Until now, he had always found a way to forget about them, since things were always hectic, but now that they were starting to calm down, and after what happened the day before (the confession-like event that happened in the shelter), he couldn't help but feel strangely disturbed when she was around. Well, she _was_ a girl, physically around his age, with a nice body, and one of the very few people who bothered to speak with him. Besides, she was a real cutie, one of those ones most people dream about, without ever being able to speak to, and he was probably the human (ahem, half-human) who was closest to her.

_Kane, why are you looking away? _she asked, sincerely not having a clue about things like public decency, since it was something humans invented.

_To be honest, I _do _want to look at you, but right now, I have your breasts right before my eyes, and I think I might end up doing something bad if I was to look at you now. So, would you please mind putting something on them?_

Given the lack of reaction from behind him, he was fairly sure she was wondering why he had asked her to hide her body.

_If you're wondering why I'm asking you to do so, you may have noticed that us humans tend to wear clothes, right? It allows us to keep our body warmth and to hide our private parts from others' sight. It's what we call decency to hide these places, and a woman breasts are something that are supposed to be hidden from men's eyes. There isn't any particular logical reason for that that I could give you to help you understand why we do so, but at this point, I'm fairly sure you understand that humans can do totally nonsensical things sometimes, right?_

_Right, _she answered. _Like asking me to hide my body when I shouldn't have to, am I wrong, Kane?_

Her voice was completely monotone, almost mechanical, and for a moment, Kane knew the dread of not knowing if he had upset her, or pained her. But then he felt something wrap around his neck, pulling him back. Before he knew it, K'tyss was grasping his shoulders, and he could feel her head resting on his back...Among other things.

_Yesterday, I didn't have the chance to say anything, since your grandfather entered the shelter, but today I'll tell you: I want you to be my mate, Kane._

_Wha..._was the only thing he could say, as he was absolutely not expecting what she had just said.

_I want you to be my mate, Kane. I mean it, and nothing you say will change it. Besides, you are conscious that no human girl would want of someone as close as being one of our kind than you for her mate, right?_

_K'tyss!_ the alien intervened.

_What? You know it is true, sister._

_Even so, you don't have to say it like that! Did you even think about his feelings?!_

_Don't worry, Stryss ,_he said, earning himself a surprised look._ Even though it was said without much delicacy, it is still true. Besides, I abandoned the thought of possibly having a normal love life a long time ago. And given how the last _human_ girl in love with me acted, I'm more than willing to take K'tyss as a mate. I know that at least she won't abduct , tie or shock me._

Saying so, he gently patted the hybrid girl's head, earning himself a few pleased sounds. He felt himself blushing a little, but he quickly got back to his senses. He had a few things to make sure of before formerly accepting her as a mate, but most of them were simply to give him the time to realize he was about to have a girlfriend. And one most of his classmates would have been jealous of: as said before, she was a beautiful teenage girl, she was kind (when not angered), and extremely intelligent. He knew men liked the idea of having a beautiful airhead with them, but what was interesting in dating someone you couldn't even hold a decent conversation with?

_By the way, I suppose you did tell my grandfather you were leaving? _he asked, remembering about the current situation.

_Oh, yeah. He looked a little sad, but he said we could come by whenever we wanted. He also said to take care of you._

_That old man...He never misses one...Oh well. So, is there something I have to do for us to be officially mates?_ he asked, rubbing his neck. He didn't know at all if the sisters' species had the same need for decorum than humans, but nonetheless, it was better to ask, just to be sure. He didn't want to start a relationship by upsetting his girlfriend.

Smirking, the alien girl grabbed his neck, bringing his head to her level, and kissed him.

_This, silly._

With a surprised cry, Kane indulged into the kiss. It was his first, and he hadn't expected it to be like that. He hadn't expected it to be with someone who wasn't completely human, he hadn't expected it to be in his bedroom, he hadn't expected it to be with a girl he _knew_ he would love for the rest of his life. After all, in this day and age, most teenagers' relationships didn't last long, the longer ones often being for a few years, before life (or more commonly, the need of having your way with a cuter girl, or a more popular boy) did its job by ending them.

Her lips were moist, and had a strange, yet not unpleasant taste. While they were kissing, his mind went blank for a moment, before he felt feelings-not his- invade it, K'tyss' feelings. He could feel her deep love for him, something that shook him to the bone, as it was the first time he felt so _loved_, so appreciated for whoever and whatever he was. It was only when tears started to run on his cheeks that he realized how lonely he had been, as he had to always be careful of those around him, not to let anything about his particularity slip, and now he had a girlfriend who accepted him for what he was, something he had cast aside when he was younger, deeming it "unrealistic". He felt at ease, complete and serene, for the very first time in his life. Never before had he felt so well, as he finally had the feeling he had something to live for.

After a little while, they parted lips, both of them blushing quite intently, K'tyss with a satisfied grin, Kane with an awkward smile.

An exasperated sigh made the both of them leave the cloud they were on, and snap back to reality.

_Now that you've both confirmed that you were mates, can we please talk about something else? And Kane, please, stop smiling like an idiot! You're nearly drooling!_

Indeed, he had been much too...ahem..."disturbed", to notice that he had some drool still hanging from his mouth. Blushing even more, he brushed it off, under the amused gaze of his new girlfriend. Girlfriend...Another idea he would need some time to take in, as for now, it had been roughly ten years since he had given up and avoided any kind of romantic relationship.

_Kane! You're smirking!_ Stryss warned him. Apparently, she was in a foul mood, so he did his best to stop grinning like an idiot, as he wanted to avoid angering her any more, plus K'tyss _was_ her sister. It must had been quite awkward for her to see her sister, whom she had protected for so long, kissing someone she had known only for a few days.

_Sorry, sorry. It's just a bit...new to me, so I'm afraid my mind is having a hard time adapting to the idea,_ he said, rubbing his neck nervously._ Anyway, today I'll have to go to school again, so I'd like the two of you to stay here until I come back. Of course, you are free to go back to my grandfather's shelter if you think it'll be more interesting. You could learn a few things if you asked him. I may be able to answer most of your questions for now, but there are things he could tell you that I cannot._

Hearing his sister's calling him, he went for the door, and waved to the two sisters.

_Have a nice day. This time I should be home earlier, I doubt someone else will want to abduct me, so if you go to my grandfather's place, don't forget to come back early._

Receiving nods from both of the sisters, he left.

"What's the matter, Kathryn?

-Well, apparently there's no school today. I heard someone say that this night, the voltage transformer has been damaged, and that the police think it may be terrorists, since that traces of intrusion have been found in several places. So they want to make sure that nobody set explosives inside the buildings, and they cancelled class today."

Waiting before the schools' gates, the two siblings were immersed in a crowd of angered students. That was understandable, as they had been told that classes were cancelled for the day. Now, the students were not angered because of the cancellation of their classes, but rather by the fact that they had gotten up for nothing, while they could have spent more time sleeping. _You should never underestimate human laziness, _Kane thought, with a grin.

Shrugging, he asked Kathryn to get them out of the crowd, something she did with pleasure and ease, as most students let her go back, not wishing to anger the "ice queen" in any way. As he sat on a nearby bench with his sister, Kane couldn't help but smile at the thought that he had a girlfriend, and also when he recalled why the school was closed, mainly because of his-and his guests- night visit. _Well, I wish them good luck if they are looking for explosives, _he thought, knowing full well that there weren't any in the school buildings

-Kane? You seem to be in an awfully good mood. Did something good happen?" Kathryn asked, peering into Kane closed eyes. She was texting her..._their_ parents to tell them about the school, something Kane found quite useless, as they would probably simply erase the message without even reading it.

-You can say that, I guess." he answered. _Well, I've got a girlfriend, and a very cute and caring one, so why wouldn't I be in a good mood?_

While he was smiling like an idiot, he noticed that Kathryn looked like she wanted to say something. Knowing full well that it would take her forever to decide to speak up, he choose to rush things a little:

-What do you want to tell me?

He had the pleasure to see her jump, while her face showed surprise in the fact he noticed that she wanted to tell him something.

-A friend of mine told me that there was a party to celebrate Halloween, and that we were invited if we wanted. So I wanted to ask you if you would go with me."

On the end of her sentence, Kathryn's voice died out, becoming nearly impossible to hear, save for his superhuman senses. That was to be expected, after all, these parties were usually attended to be couples, or groups of friends. Asking him to come with her was something nobody else would do, and that was probably the very reason she asked him in the first place. She didn't like to know him alone at home while she was outside having fun. _Well, I wouldn't have been "alone" anyway, but there's no way that I'll tell her that._

_-_Why not? I haven't gotten some fun for a while. When is it scheduled?

With a wide smile on her face, Kathryn told everything to her brother, having completely forgotten his odd behavior.

**K'tyss POV**

Running through the city's sewers, her long, slim-looking frame was merely a blur, a shadow moving without a noise on the conducts' walls. The air was hot from the rotting substances inside the sewers conducts, making it more comfortable for her than the outside, since that even if she could easily get used to the cold, she preferred hot, moist air. It was something her kind had a thing for, as they seemed to be more effective in these kinds of environments. She hadn't thought much about it, since it was pointless to hypothesize without knowing where her kind originated from. She did have memories inherited from her Queen ancestor, but it didn't go back for more than a generation. She had nothing to know where her kind came from originally.

As she dashed through the conducts, she couldn't help but smile, as she now had officially asked Kane to be her mate. She had been really nervous, as despite everything he had told her the day before, he _was_ originally a human, and she despised herself for being nothing more than a lab product. That was why she had insisted on the fact that no human girl would want of him, even though she knew it was a horrible thing to say to him. It had been on the spur of the moment, but now she regretted it. What kind of girl would say something like that to the boy she was interested in, only to make sure he would agree to become her mate? However, he hadn't been disturbed by it at all, even though Stryss had been shocked to see her being so rude. He had even seemed to understand her, and he himself looked happy that she had been willing to go so far to make sure he would be her mate.

Of course, she couldn't read his mind, as their ability to understand each other's thoughts only worked on things he allowed her to see/feel, and of course, his mind had a protective barrier surrounding it. Ordinary humans, like his grandfather, did not have such protections, allowing her to literally read their mind if she was close enough(considering that it meant being able to touch them, the only available way to do so was to restrain them beforehand, since apart from Kane's grandfather, nobody would allow them to get this close), but Kane, even though he probably didn't create it consciously, had a wall protecting his mind.

Nonetheless, he had easily accepted her, so easily that in fact she couldn't help but wonder how long he had been pondering it beforehand, or if he was simply going along with the flow. _It's Kane we're talking about, so he probably has been thinking about it since yesterday. Anyway, it's pointless to worry now. He accepted, so now we're mates._

She couldn't help but blush at the thought. Her kind was extremely faithful, unlike most humans who would eventually change partners, they only took a mate once. The only moment when they took another mate was when their original one had died, and even so, it took a great deal of time before doing so. It could happen that one female had two male mates and inversely, however it was a rare sight, since the pain from losing either one of them was just as great, and if both of them happened to die, then it was likely that the survivor would simply let herself/himself die, unable to bear the incredible sorrow it would cause. That meant that to her, Kane was now the most important being in the universe, at the same level than her sister. She didn't know how he felt about her, but given how he had been acting, she was sure he too considered her to be a very important being to him, if not the most important one.

She had been delighted when he had told her that he didn't have school, and she had left Stryss to discuss with Erik. The alien seemed to have been in a foul mood ever since she had kissed Kane, and she didn't want her to be openly aggressive with her new mate. She didn't know if it was simply an older sister being overprotective, or something else, but she knew that at least for a little while, it was better to let her cool her head off. It wasn't often that she was that angry, and even though she hadn't shown it too much, K'tyss knew that it was better to leave her alone for a while.

Finally reaching a familiar place (though most humans wouldn't have been able to distinguish it from any other place in the sewers, she had a very good memory), she quickly climbed through the manhole, her claws making clinking sounds on the wall. Emerging in the cellar, she made sure to check that nobody was around, and she was quite surprised to see that it was not the case. There was somebody in the kitchen, as a blurred female silhouette could be seen. Judging from what she could see, it was not Kathryn, as she was now familiar with Kane's sister's signature, nor was it Lily, the only other human female she had known.

Immediately getting on all fours, as it was both a way to be more discreet and something that allowed her to make full use of her physical features, she called Kane, to make sure she could attack the intruder. Would it have been only her, she would have killed her on the spot, but she was fairly sure that her mate would be displeased to find a corpse in his kitchen.

_Ah, don't attack her! _a panicked voice told her. _It's Manuella, the cleaning lady. I totally forgot to tell you that today is the day she comes over to clean the house. Since you were supposed to spend the day at my grandfather's place, I didn't think I had to tell you, but now that you're in the cellar, the best would be that you crawl into my bedroom while she isn't looking. She doesn't clean my room before the afternoon, so it should be okay for you to hide inside. At least I should be back, so I could distract her while you use the sewers to go back to the shelter._

With a sight, K'tyss climbed the stairs to the corridor, making sure that the "cleaning lady" was not looking that way, and then silently opened the door, rushing to Kane's room, without a single noise. Luckily for her, Manuella was too busy listening to music while cleaning to notice her. She was a thirty years-old Hispano-American, with long, dark hair. She seemed to be slightly overweight, but not near enough to be called fat, and for what the half-alien had seen while taking a glance, she was wearing simple clothes, a white shirt and jeans.

Standing before Kane's room's door, she quickly opened it, and entering carefully, she closed it behind her. Deciding that waiting for Kane was the best thing to do, she curled herself on his bed, enjoying it's scent. Now that Kane was her mate, she had found herself to be quite fond of his scent, as for some reason she had come to associate it with the feeling of being safe, of being loved, which was something she could not get enough of.

_I hope he'll be here soon, _she thought, before going to sleep. If anyone approached the room, her senses would wake her up early enough for her to hide, so she didn't have to hold back.

**Stryss POV**

As she discussed things such as their kind's organization, their life cycle with Erik, Stryss couldn't help but feel angry. Angry and jealous. The moment Kane had told them he didn't have school and that he would be home for the whole day, K'tyss had decided that she would go back to his house, without even asking her what she wanted to do. Even worse, when she had told K'tyss she was coming, her sister had given her a strange look, before stating that she should stay there, since Erik wanted to ask them a few things.

So she had been stuck with the human, who, even if he was kind and understanding, was not someone she trusted as much as Kane. However, she was puzzled about him: she liked him, that was a fact, but then, why was she so upset each time she remembered how her sister looked at him, and why was she not happy about the two of them becoming mates? Her sister deserved someone to take care of her, to love her, a role she had played for most of her life, but she couldn't replace a mate. On the other side, she wanted Kane to be happy.

She had seen some of his memories, unintentionally of course, as while he was sleeping, his mind was like an open book. And what she had seen had startled her: he too had been nearly alone, save for his sister, for most of his life. Even worse, his parents avoided him, something he had never told either of them, they avoided him to the point of neglecting his sister with him. Of course, she had expected him to be angry, and angry he was, however, he had not been angry because they avoided _him_, he was angry because they neglected his sister. As she had been wondering why he was thinking like that, she had been startled to see that ever since he had been conscious, he had considered himself like a monster, and the fact his parents avoided him only served to prove that. That was why he wasn't angry at them for neglecting him: why should he get angered over something he considered normal? That was what angered her. He was not very different form her sister and herself, however, when they hadn't had a parent from the start, he had parents, but they had neglected him, something no parent should ever do.

However, for some reason, even if she wanted both her sister and Kane to be happy, she couldn't help but feel jealous. The two of them had become very close to each other, while on the other hand, even if she had become quite good friends with him, she didn't feel like she could get any closer to him, and that depressed her greatly. She too was a female, and she didn't have the chance to find a mate yet either. The truth was, she would gladly become Kane's mate if he wanted her to, but given that she didn't have any visible human traits, he would probably not consider her like a possible mate. Furthermore, she didn't want to break the fragile peace they were living in by giving their host another reason to worry.

To summarize, she too felt attracted to the young hybrid, but given that she was the older of the two sisters, she felt that it was her responsibility to give up her happiness if that meant that K'tyss could be happy.

With a groan, she told Erik that she was going back to Kane's home, and even if the old man seemed to regret that he couldn't get all the answers he wanted, he let her go.

However, as she was going to step into the sewers' conducts, he grabbed her hand, much to her surprise:

_Stryss, I may be human, but I can tell that something's bothering you. So before you leave, let me give you an advice: life is too short to spend it worrying. If there's something you want to do, do it, an if there's something you want to say, say it. Otherwise, you'll only end up regretting it later._

_I guess that what's bothering you has something to do with Kane, so listen up: he may be caring, kind, and be full of qualities, when it comes to some things, he can be quite dumb. So if you ever feel he doesn't understand you point, don't hesitate to make it clear to him._

Staring into the old man eyes, she could see he was genuinely concerned about her well-being, and that it had taken him a lot of courage to tell her that.

With a smile, she patted his hair, and then dashed into the sewers.

_Thanks for the advice, it may prove to be useful. Have a good day, Erik._

**Kane POV**

After coming back with Kathryn (who was humming, apparently in a great mood, since her brother had accepted to come to the party with her), Kane quickly told her he had things to do, and entered his room, to find a familiar hybrid girl staring at him. Apparently she had taken a nap on his bed while he wasn't here, but now she was wide awake, and looking at him with a wide smile on her face.

_So, why did your school cancel your classes? _she asked.

With a satisfied grin, he threw his coat on his chain, and sat beside his mate.

_Well, let's say some people wondered why the electricity stopped functioning yesterday night. The current hypothesis is about terrorists._

The alien girl chuckled. She too understood just how wrong the police was, but they would certainly not be the ones to tell them it was their fault.

_So, you told me you had something to tell me, _she asked, curious.

_Yeah. You see, Kathryn just told me that there was a party at one of the students' house, so I agreed to go with her. The party is tomorrow, and it is a disguised one. I'll probably use this opportunity to show my talons a little. It's hard to hide them all the time, so a little breather is welcome._

He stopped talking when he noticed that K'tyss was looking at him expectandly.

_What?_ he asked. He had a bad feeling about this.

_I want to come too! If it's supposed to be a disguised party, I can go too, right? I don't have to hide, right? Please? Pleasepleaseplease?_

Kane was a little taken aback by her eagerness to attend the party. Then again, it was something she never experienced, and it was understandable that she wanted to see what it looked like.

_I understand, I understand. Stop gripping my hand, I can't feel it anymore!_

As the alien hybrid looked at her hands, she noticed she had been squeezing his right hand so hard Kane was biting his lips not to scream in pain.

_Oh, sorry!_ she screamed, as she let go of his wrist.

Massaging his arm, Kane sighed. He knew she wouldn't back off, and it wouldn't have been very fair if he was the only one to go to the party. However, he would have to find her a disguise, since someone looking too much into it would find out that she wasn't wearing a costume. Even more, he would have to find something convincing to tell Kathryn about K'tyss (that wouldn't be hard, he had always been a very good liar), and before the party, he would have to teach the alien girl how to speak, otherwise, they would be in a tight spot.

Turning to look at her, he could see how excited she was about the idea. With a sight, he took her by the shoulders, and looked at her straight into her eyes:

_Listen. You can come with me to the party, but there will be conditions. First, we'll have to make you wear a disguise, something to hide your breasts, otherwise we'll be found out. Second, if you come, I want you to stay with me at all times. I don't want you to get into trouble. Third, if you want to come, we'll have to teach you how to speak, if only a little. We can't have people to get suspicious of you because you don't say anything. Do you agree with these conditions?_

With a pleased scream, he was knocked down by an overexcited alien girl.

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**I hope this chapter was to your taste. Next week, the chapter will be about the party. **

**If you enjoyed reading this, please review. It's always a pleasure to read positive comments. Of course, you can also point out what you want to see changed.  
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**By the way, I've started a poll on my profile. If you have time, please participate. The poll subject is "Who is your favorite character so far?"  
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**Thank you for reading, and see you all next week!  
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	16. Chapter 16-Party

**Hello everyone, here's this week's chapter! **

**I have a few things to say before you read it, so please, bear with it.  
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**First, this chapter may be better in the M section (for some language), but I wasn't sure about it. So if I'm breaking the rules of , please let me know before telling them, I'll change the status of the story as soon as possible.  
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**Second, this story will be transferred to the M section next week, as the next chapter will contain some gore content (and I don't want to be banned^^).  
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**Third,the story will now begin to get darker (or at least I intend to make it so, even if it may not be too obvious before a few chapters), and I hope it'll please you. Until now, most of the chapters have been to introduce my characters and the story's background, but now, the things will start getting more interesting (yes, I know I've already promised this a bunch of times, but it's true, I swear!).  
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**I hope all my rambling didn't bother you too much. Now, enjoy!  
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##**I don't own Alien, Predator or AVP**##

16

Party

**Kane POV**

Removing his new surgical bands, Kane went for the trash can, and took out the ones which had been damaged when his talons had pierced his elbows. Wearing them would make the perfect disguise, as it would make him look like someone who was mutating. Of course, that was precisely what he was, but nobody else would know about it. He could have left his arms completely naked, but it was better not to, as it would greatly increase the chance that someone find out they were real, and not simply disguised.

Wearing a black sleeveless shirt, he had his old surgical bands on his arms, with a little blood still on them, while his talons were clearly visible. Looking at himself in his bathroom's mirror, he had the satisfaction to see he was looking just right, and that luckily, nobody would guess he wasn't really wearing a disguise.

Looking behind him, he could see that K'tyss was indeed wearing her costume, an old lab coat, which covered most of her body, and made her look quite like him, which was precisely the idea. He was planning to tell the people who would be curious enough to ask him who she was that she was a friend he had met on an Internet forum, that she was currently staying at a relative's place, and that he had asked her if she wanted to attend the party. He had planned to say that her father was working in the special effects industry, and that he had made both of their disguises, which would at least provide a satisfying excuse as for why their "costumes" looked so real.

_Kane, are you sure this will be enough? It doesn't really hide my body, _she asked, apparently a little worried about being surrounded by so many humans at once.

With a reassuring smile, he patted her, earning himself a pleased giggle.

_Don't worry, you look just fine. The only thing we have to make sure of is that you don't do anything suspicious, like walking on the walls, or show any kind of unusual physical abilities. Besides, you're going to stay with me the whole time, right? So if there's any kind of problem, just ask me. Now, how about we try to have a vocal conversation to see if you remember what I taught you?_

Clearing her throat, she opened her mouth:

-Y-yes, Kane." she said, with a little difficulties. Her voice was surprisingly soft for someone who had never spoken the day before."M-my n-name is-s Kr-Kristin. P-pleased to m-meet you."

Kane gave her a satisfied smile. She had learnt how to speak extremely fast, even if she still had a hard time articulating words. Curiously, she didn't have any problems saying his name, but she stumbled on any other word.

"Hello, Kristin. Where do you come from?" he asked, wanting to she would remember his teachings.

"I c-can't t-tell you. " K'tyss answered, with a concentrated face.

"Why?

-B-because it's p-personal." she answered once again, with a frown.

With a smile, he kissed her.

_Very well. You learn quite fast, K'tyss. I didn't expect you to do so well so quickly._

_I have a good teacher, _she answered.

God did she look gorgeous, even in that lab coat. Even more so that it had been cut open in several areas to simulates cuts from the claws of a beast. He had to refrain from going further than a kiss, as her scent tickled his nose, arousing him.

Parting lips, he once again detailed her from head to toes, giving an approving nod for what he was seeing.

_Should we go?_ he asked, taking her hand, and opening the window.

_My, of course, _ she answered.

He could see that even if she was a little nervous about being surrounded by humans, she was still excited about the party. With a grin, she leapt from the window on the nearby tree, while Kane got outside and made sure the window was closed. He then let himself fall to the ground, since his legs, even if not mutated, were now more resistant than any normal human ones. His mate let herself fall from the tree, and landed easily, everything in absolute silence. It was as if the world itself didn't know she was there.

_What about your sister?_ she asked. He had told her that Kathryn was coming with them, but nothing apart from that.

_I told her to go ahead, and that I had someone to pick up. She didn't seem to like it, but it's not as if she had a choice. However, she said that I was to reunite with her a few streets before the house where the party's going to be, or that she would come and get me herself._

The last comment made K'tyss laugh, until she noticed how serious Kane was.

_What? She'd really do that?_ she asked, a little surprised.

_You don't even know half of it. Once, when we were in primary school, she barged into my class because I was late, as I was asking a few things from my teacher. She took my hand, and we left like that. She didn't let go of it before we were at our house._

K'tyss broke into a laughing fit, holding her sides, as her lab coat was moving with her shoulders.

_It must have been a sight to behold. I wish I'd have seen it,_ she said, while laughing. That was the good side of having mental conversations, you could laugh and speak at the same time.

_The face of the teacher was priceless. I guess that mine was too, _he remembered. Indeed it had been priceless, but the downside was that after that, their parents gave them a very thorough lecture about the respect due to adults.

Taking K'tyss' hand, he started walking down the street with her, carefully making sure she only looked like a teenage girl with a very well made disguise. Luckily, the lab coat hid her body quite well, and a hole made inside it allowed her tail to move freely. The only thing that could give her away would be her feet, as there was no way to make her wear shoes, and they definitely didn't look human at all. However, given how well Kane knew his fellow students, he was quite sure most of them would be too drunk to notice anything. Even if the law didn't allow selling alcohol to minors, by a curious twist, said minors never had any difficulties getting their hands on some strong drinks.

_It's still sad that Stryss can't come, _K'tyss suddenly said. _I feel bad for her._

_Me too, _he said. He did indeed feel bad about it: not only did he "steal" her sister from her, but now he was going to a party with her, while she had to stay at his house. He couldn't help but feel it was wrong, and he swore to himself that he would make it up to her somehow.

_It's not as if we could take her with us anyway: while we can fool people into thinking we are disguised, she cannot pass for a human. But I think I'll get her something to make up to her._

A chuckle coming from his side told him that K'tyss found the idea of making up to her sister was funny.

_Let's just make sure to do nothing to worry her, _he said, wanting to do things right.

_Right. If you do anything fishy, I'll know it right away, _the voice of the alien said in his head.

Kane sighed. He knew that Stryss was going to be angry for a while, and letting her see through his senses was not going to make her feel any better. However, he had agreed on it, and he wasn't one to go back on his words.

_I know, I know. Don't worry, I won't do anything stupid. At least, unless I have to. You never know when I might have to do so, if anyone gets suspicious._

A loud growl made him shiver.

_Be careful, Kane. I really hope for you that you won't do anything unless necessary. Otherwise, we might need to discuss a few things in private._

The thought of having to explain himself to an alien female was quite terrifying, and Kane made sure that he would behave exemplary, if only to avoid a lecture. Luckily for him, Stryss seemed to have gone silent, so he allowed himself to take the breath he had been holding.

_Sorry for this, _K'tyss said, as she took his hand in her own.

They looked like a couple of teenagers, which was mostly what they wanted, and they started walking down the street, Kane leisurely taking his time and enjoying their first walk as a couple, while K'tyss was mostly focused on walking like a human, which was not that easy, given her leg structure was different. She still did a great job, and while she staggered a little, she clamped down on his arm, something he was grateful for, as it made her look exactly how he wanted people to see her: a beautiful, yet shy girl. It would make things easier for them if people thought she didn't like getting attention, and would make the fact she was staying close to him understandable.

As they walked, they saw a few other teenagers heading towards the direction of the party, however, none of them noticed the couple. To make sure he wasn't looking suspicious, Kane had taken his stick, and moved it around as if he was trying to avoid obstacles he didn't see, while of course he didn't need it, and was merely taking his time to enjoy the walk with his lover. A few dogs barked when they sensed them, but they didn't mind, not even hissing/screaming back, as it would not prevent them from being noisy anyway.

As they arrived to the meeting location, Kane noticed that K'tyss was tightening her grip on his arm, probably feeling nervous about the idea of "meeting" Kathryn, since although she had seen her a few times already, she had never talked to her.

_Don't worry, _he told her, while patting her hair with his free hand. _She won't eat you. It's my sister we're talking about._

_It's precisely because it's your sister that I'm worried, _she answered, nervous.

However, she seemed to feel better after the patting. Her tail, which had been waving around restlessly, was now moving slower, something that Kane took as a good sign.

As they moved forward, Kane caught a glimpse of his sister, who was leaning on a fence, her arms crossed. She was wearing a succubus attire, with a tail, little leather wings, and leather clothes. Of course, said clothes were quite tight, and skin revealing. In fact, she looked _gorgeous_, so to speak, but since she was his sister, Kane felt quite awkward about thinking such things.

Noticing his awkwardness, K'tyss sent him peaceful thoughts, thoughts of their first kiss, and he reddened almost immediately. _That_ was something he didn't want to think about right now, with his girlfriend right next to him, as it was hard for him to control his hormones, which were currently riving him nuts, with the feeling of something soft on his arms, and the scent of the girl he loved.

_Please don't do that, I'm having a hard time controlling myself, _he told K'tyss, without looking at her. He had the feeling that should he look at her now, he would be unable to restrain himself from doing things he would rather not do in public.

_Well, at least I know you liked it, _ she commented, quite pleased.

As they drew near, Kathryn noticed them. Kane could see her gaze fly from him to the girl holding his arm, and for a split second, a look of surprise flashed through her face, as well as...anger? However, she quickly composed herself before Kane could be sure of what he had seen. She had a neutral expression, and she waited for them to get to her level. She then detailed K'tyss from head to toe, without even bothering to hide her examination.

A little surprised by his sister less than subtle behavior, Kane coughed, hoping to make her notice that she was being rude.

-I hope we didn't keep you waiting?" he asked, hoping to divert her attention from her examination.

Luckily, it worked, as Kathryn stopped staring at K'tyss to look at him.

-No, I just got here a few minutes ago. I had a hard time getting _this_-she motioned to her disguise- on.

-Well, at least it's worth the effort. You look absolutely..."he wrecked his brain for a word fitting the situation"...good. You look good in it."

He had the pleasure to see her smile happily, blushing slightly. However, as the girl beside him clutched his arm stronger, Kathryn's smile faded a little, and she looked a little angry.

-So, this is your friend you invited?" she asked, in a dry tone.

_Be careful, K'tyss, I think you've pissed her, though I don't know how, _he told the alien hybrid.

_I can see that, _she answered.

-Pleased to meet you. I am Kane's sister, Kathryn. And you are...?" the disguised succubus asked.

-I am K-Kristin. P-Pleased t-to m-meet you." K'tyss said loudly, while clutching Kane's arms to the point it hurt, apparently feeling the need to make Kathryn understand that he was her boyfriend.

Kane started to feel something was wrong when he saw a distinct twitch of his sister mouth, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

She finally managed to compose herself, and stared with something akin to anger and regret to the couple:

-I...see that you're really close, the two of you.

-T-That's t-true! H-he s-saved m-me!" K'tyss said, with not a single clue that she was spilling secrets that should have stayed hidden.

As Kane expected, Kathryn quirked an eyebrow, apparently curious about what he had saved her from.

-I...see. So, he saved you. From what? If it's not too personal?"

Kane started to sweat, as it was the very first test to see if K'tyss had understood his lessons.

-I c-can't be t-too spe-specific, bu-but I was in d-danger and he s-saved me."

His heart began to go back to its usual slow beating, as apparently he had been worried over nothing. Even if Kathryn didn't look very satisfied with the answer, she couldn't pry further without looking nosy, and humans didn't like to look nosy.

Instead, she choose to take her brother's hand, and started to walk towards the location of the party, dragging him and his girlfriend with her.

-Hey! What are you doing, Kathryn?" he asked, not liking her strange behavior. She was unusually aggressive, and for some reason, he had the feeling she didn't like K'tyss at all, though he didn't know why.

-We are going to be late." she said, though it was easy to see that she wasn't really bothered by the idea of being late, but by something else.

_Is something wrong with her? _K'tyss asked, understanding that her boyfriend's sister wasn't acting like she should have, given how surprised he seemed to be.

_I guess, but like hell I know what, _he answered, still trying to figure out the reason behind Kathryn's unusual behavior.

Fortunately, he didn't have the time to think about it, since they were now before the house where the party was held , and there were quite a few students already enjoying themselves outside. However, as much as Kane would have liked a discreet enter, it was more or less ruined when one of the male students spotted his sister and started screaming:

-Holy shit! Hey guys! Get your asses here! The Ice Queen's fucking HOT!"

And of course, like most males, human ones tended to let their hormones tell them what to do. It was no surprise then, than almost immediately, a crowd began assembling outside the house, most of the people staring being males.

Kane could hear them whisper, eating Kathryn with their eyes, when they didn't simply whistle and give crude comments without even bothering to lower their voices. Suddenly, Kane felt very, very tired about the idea of having to spend God only knew how many hours with this bunch of crude, ill-mannered, and idiotic people. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel the urge to kill each male who was talking about his sister as if she was a piece of meat.

_Kane, remember that we can't allow ourselves to be discovered, so please, try to stay calm. Or at least, don't do anything too rash, _K'tyss voice said, as she was clutching his arm.

Taking in long, hard breathings, he eventually managed to calm himself, though he was still quite angry, but not to the point of wanting to kill someone anymore. He noticed that Kathryn too was feeling a little shy, given how she was holding her arms in front of her, hoping that the stares would stop.

Luckily, at least for her, the boys who came to see her disguise were suddenly pushed back by a group of girls, which, if Kane remembered well, were all more or less acquaintances, people he saw from time to time, while he went to see Kathryn in her classroom, or simply when he was going to school. Seeing him, they let out a concert of giggles, though they didn't last, as they quickly spotted K'tyss, who by now was nearly stuck to his arm, given how much she was squeezing it.

As the girls were staring at his girlfriend, one of them came closer, with a frown on her face. She was of average height, had long, clear hair, which must have been blond, and was wearing a costume of Harley Quinn. She was rather cute, however, the frown on her face was causing her to look like some kind of jealous woman, which may have been the case.

-Hey, Kane! Glad to see you could come! You too, Kathryn!" she started, with a cheerful voice. However, that didn't last, as right after, she pointed at K'tyss, and asked, with a frown:"And...Who is she? An acquaintance? I don't remember seeing her at school."

It was quite obvious that the girl, Maria, if Kane remembered well, didn't like K'tyss at all, given how she was looking at her. Of course, that didn't faze the alien girl, since she had seen far worse in her life, and could easily get rid of an annoying human girl.

Kane, however, didn't like how she was looking at his girlfriend, even more so when she hadn't done anything wrong in the first place, and that the girl was not the one who saved him from death a few days ago. He decided that even if he didn't want to attract attention, it was better to make things clear, as postponing it would be difficult anyway.

While holding firmly K'tyss, he turned his head as if he was looking to Maria (which he was doing, though she couldn't know about it), and with a dry smile, he simply answered:

-She's my girlfriend, Kristin.

As soon as he finished his sentence, the boys whistled, while a few girls looked quite angry. Maria was one of them.

-She's your _girlfriend_?! Just what do you see in her? She's _hiding_ herself from me, for God's sake!"

A few of the girls laughed, however, Kane wasn't going to let some disrespectful brats badmouth K'tyss. That's why, when he "looked" at Maria, he gave her his most chilling, terrifying, and menacing smile.

-I think she's hiding herself because there's a bitch barking too loud, don't you think? It's a good thing, really, I don't want her to get sick with rabies when we've just started dating."

Suddenly, not a sound was heard anymore, apart from the music being played inside the house. Everyone was staring at him in complete disbelief, the boys with an amused grin, though a few seemed surprised, however, on the girls' side, all of them were looking stupidly at him, their mouths half-open in shock. He was known for being one of the nicest guys in school, yet he had just been extremely insulting to Maria, whose face was now a very interesting shade of red.

"Wha..wha..." was all she could say, as it seemed her brain didn't register the words Kane had just spoken.

"If you want me to say it in an easier way to understand, which may be needed here, since it seems you can't understand what I just said: **DON' . . . .** Or otherwise, I can assure you that you life will become a living hell. With that being said, please have a nice party."

He left a dumfounded Maria being him, as well as a few girls who were laughing nervously, probably wondering what had happened to him, while most of the boys looked quite impressed with his display of anger. Kathryn was following him, though she seemed quite surprised as well. K'tyss was still holding his arm, though she looked back to Maria for a few seconds, earning herself a few whistles from the boys, since they hadn't seen her face, which until now had been hidden by his arm.

-Holy shit! Look at this hottie!

-...Oh man, why did she have to choose him? He's _blind_! He can't even _see_ how hot she is!"

Hearing his fellow students' comments made Kane grin. _I can perfectly see how beautiful she is, guys! And I've even seen a few things your girlfriends will not show you before a while, suckers!_

He earned himself a light slap on the back of his head, as K'tyss looked at him reproachfully.

_I didn't tell you that you could look at them!_

_It isn't a big deal, right? I mean, you've nearly shoved them under my eyes a few times before, and you never wore anything to hide them._

_That's because you've never told me they were supposed to be hidden! Otherwise, I would've covered them with something!_

They were interrupted by Kathryn, who was obviously at a loss as for why the two of them were staring at each other, making funny faces.

-What are you doing?" she asked, perplexed.

-Nothing, thinking about breasts and stuff." he answered. He had the pleasure to see her nearly choke on the drink she had gotten from one of the boys, though he earned himself another smack on the head.

Coughing and spitting cola, Kathryn finally managed to compose herself, and looked at Kane in disbelief.

"Kane, are you sure you're all right? Maybe we should call a doctor?

- I am perfectly fine, thank you. I simply felt like I should be honest today. I must say it is enjoyable to be honest for once. I was starting to get tired of always being nice."

Kathryn gave him a startled look, but said nothing. She must had been too surprised to say anything, anyway, and honestly, Kane was happy that she couldn't say anything. He didn't want to argue with her, which was bound to happen if she continued to criticize every little thing he was going to do that night.

**K'tyss POV**

When K'tyss saw Kathryn, she felt butterflies in her stomach. This was the first time they would be meeting, and she was more than a little nervous about the idea of her mate's sister disliking her. Tightening her grip on Kane's arm, she saw him giving her an encouraging smile:

_Don't worry, _he told her, while patting her hair with his free hand. _She won't eat you. It's my sister we're talking about._

_It's precisely because it's your sister that I'm worried, _she answered, nervous. She had no idea how human females reacted when presented to their brother's mate, and she was ready to assume the worse, given how Kane had described her. It was clear as day that Kathryn was very protective of her brother, and being said brother's mate wasn't going to help her to be friends with the girl.

However, she was distracted by Kane, who was looking at his sister with round eyes, and his mouth half-open. For some reason, he was staring at Kathryn in utter amazement, and couldn't get his eyes off her. A little jealous, K'tyss sent him peaceful thoughts, and memories of their first kiss, which made him redden almost immediately.

_Please don't do that, I'm having a hard time controlling myself, _he told K'tyss, without looking at her. His hands were shaking, and she knew it was because he had a hard time controlling himself with her around. That was something she found rather cute, how he was desperately trying to act gentlemanly, while his instincts were probably telling him to jump on her right there and now.

_Well, at least I know you liked it, _ she commented, quite pleased. It was something she was still trying to realize, that she had a mate, and it was someone who made her feel loved, protected, and over all, who made her feel _special_, yet it was in the good sense. Until a few days ago, special meant that nobody else was like her, that she was a freak. Now he felt special to someone, and it was enough to make her the happiest girl in the whole universe.

Now that they were getting closer to Kathryn, K'tyss noticed that she seemed somehow nervous. She was wearing clothes that revealed a lot of her skin, something that was rather strange. For what she had seen of human clothing until then, human females didn't like to show off their skin, so why was she wearing something so revealing? And why was she looking so nervous? Did it have something to do with the party, or was it something else?

However, her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed that Kathryn had seen them and was currently making a very strange face: for a split second, she looked angry, and then she switched to a neutral expression. _Well, that's not very encouraging, _she thought to herself.

When they got close enough, Kane's sister started sizing her up and down, without even bothering to hide, which was, in itself, also different from the human "don't be rude" behavior. However, as she was starting to wonder about Kathryn's less than cold behavior, Kane coughed, attracting her attention:

-I hope we didn't keep you waiting?" he asked, probably trying to cover his sister's embarrassing behavior.

Apparently, it made Kathryn realize that she was being rude with someone who was obviously on good terms with her brother. She quickly composed herself, and answered:

-No, I just got here a few minutes ago. I had a hard time getting _this_-she motioned to her disguise- on.

-Well, at least it's worth the effort. You look absolutely..."he paused for a minute, probably trying to figure out what word he should use"...good. You look good in it."

His compliment pleased his sister, who smiled from the bottom of her heart. _She truly is beautiful_, K'tyss thought, a little bitterly.

-So, this is your friend you invited?"

She was asking about K'tyss, who reflexively tensed, as she could sense the contained anger in her voice.

_Be careful, K'tyss, I think you've pissed her, though I don't know how, _Kane told her, apparently surprised by his sister's rude behavior towards her.

_I can see that, _she answered. Anyone who _wouldn't_ see that would have been either stupid or blind.

-Pleased to meet you. I am Kane's sister, Kathryn. And you are...?" Kathryn asked.

-I am K-Kristin. P-Pleased t-to m-meet you." K'tyss said the louder she could, trying not to make any mistakes in her words. She clutched Kane's arm, something that made her feel better, knowing that he was there for her, his mate.

A twitch of Kathryn's mouth showed that she was having a hard time containing her anger, however, she managed to compose herself, and she stared at them with something akin to regret in her eyes:

-I...see that you're really close, the two of you.

-T-That's t-true! H-he s-saved m-me!" K'tyss said, remembering how he had been there for her and her sister ever since they had come to Earth. She didn't even notice the surprise who flashed through her interlocutor's eyes, neither did she see her nails digging into her palms.

-I...see. So, he saved you. From what? If it's not too personal?"

Completely concentrated on what Kane had told her, she managed to avoid saying too much:

-I c-can't be t-too spe-specific, bu-but I was in d-danger and he s-saved me."

Judging by the satisfied look on Kane's face, as well as his heartbeat, who was slowing down, going back to normal, she hadn't made any mistakes. But Mother was it hard to speak with humans, they had too many subtleties in their conversations.

However, her relief was replaced by surprise, when Kathryn grabbed Kane by his hand, dragging him behind her.

-Hey! What are you doing, Kathryn?" he asked, apparently as lost as her about his sister's behavior. He was looking perplexed, something she didn't like, as for what she remembered, he nearly always had his poker face on, never letting through what he thought. Only her sister and her could see the other Kane, lively and interested in everything. She felt as if something private had just been showed to the world, and she didn't like that.

-We are going to be late." was the only thing the young woman answered, though for what K'tyss could see, it wasn't being late that bothered her, but rather the fact that she was here.

_Is something wrong with her,_ she asked, noticing Kane's surprise. Apparently, he hadn't been expecting Kathryn to act like she was.

_I guess, but like hell I know what, _he answered, probably trying to figure out why she was acting like that.

As they drew near to the house where the party was held, K'tyss felt the music and voices of students grow louder, until the building was in sight. What attracted her attention, however, was the number of humans in odd clothing drinking, eating and talking outside. It was interesting to watch them, as it seemed that wearing disguises was a part of a tradition, something her kind didn't have. They had _instincts_, sure, but nothing like traditions, so she was interested in seeing just what a tradition was. Of course, Kane had told her that tradition was a general term, and that it could go from clothing to cooking, usually to celebrate something, but not always.

When the first male spotted them, he turned to shout something that she didn't understand, something about an "Ice Queen" being "hot". However, it somehow angered Kane, and his anger only rose when a crowd started assembling before them, most of the people there being males, reeking of lust, and examining Kathryn as if she was a piece of meat. She could feel her mate's anger, and tell that he was only inches away from punching the closest one in the face.

_Kane, remember that we can't allow ourselves to be discovered, so please, try to stay calm. Or at least, don't do anything too rash, _she reminded him, knowing full well that Kathryn was one of the very few people he would go to Hell for if the need ever came.

She was rewarded by Kane taking long, deep breathings, which at least helped him to get his anger down to reasonable levels. He still looked angry, however not to the point of killing someone anymore.

As she was looking at Kane, the crowd split in two, letting in another group, this time mostly made of girls, which upon seeing her mate, started giggling stupidly. Suddenly, she was very willing to vent her anger too, just as Kane was willing to a few seconds earlier. However, as they caught sight of her, their annoying giggles ceased, something she was glad for, otherwise she would surely have tried to kill them right then and there.

As they were staring at her, still hiding her face behind Kane's arms, one of them came closer. She immediately disliked her, as she was reeking of lust and arrogance. She was obviously displeased with her being there, but she was not going to let her mate to some birdbrain human girl.

-Hey, Kane! Glad to see you could come! You too, Kathryn!"the girl started, with a pleased voice, yet a voice which then turned into a dry one when she pointed to K'tyss: "And...Who is she? An acquaintance? I don't remember seeing her at school."

Luckily, K'tyss was a very fast learner, like everyone of her kind, and she easily understood what the girl was saying. She also understood that whoever this girl was, she was being rude, well at least by human standards.

Holding her tightly, Kane looked at the girl with a poker-face, yet he had a very dry smile on his face.

-She's my girlfriend, Kristin.

She knew that in human society, by their apparent physical age, they weren't really allowed to be called "mates", and that "girlfriend" was the standard term to speak about one's female mate.

As soon as he stated that, the males started whistling, something Kane had told her they did when they approved of something, and most of the females started looking angry. The one before them looked a little more than angry, though, and started mocking her:

-She's your _girlfriend_?! Just what do you see in her? She's _hiding_ herself from me, for God's sake!"

A few of the females laughed, yet it didn't disturb her. She was about to show herself before the rude female, but Kane intervened right away, with a very scary smile on his face:

-I think she's hiding herself because there's a bitch barking too loud, don't you think? It's a good thing, really, I don't want her to get sick with rabies when we've just started dating."

Suddenly, not a sound was heard anymore, apart from the music being played inside the house. Most of the humans were looking at her mate, their mouths half-open, while she was blushing about how he was acting like a very protective mate. It wasn't the first time he protected her, yet seeing him defend her in front of a crowd of his ancient kind made her feel very happy.

The female who had mocked her was looking at them, with an incredibly stunned look on her face:

"Wha..wha..." was all she could say, as it seemed her brain didn't register the words Kane had just spoken.

"If you want me to say it in an easier way to understand, which may be needed here, since it seems you can't understand what I just said: **DON' . . . .** Or otherwise, I can assure you that you life will become a living hell. With that being said, please have a nice party."

They left the crowd behind them, however, she looked back for a second, to enjoy the look of the female who had just been insulted by her mate. As a few males saw her face, they started looking quite jealous of her mate.

-Holy shit! Look at this hottie!

-...Oh man, why did she have to choose him? He's _blind_! He can't even _see_ how hot she is!"

As she smiled, knowing just how wrong they were, she heard Kane thinking to himself. _I can perfectly see how beautiful she is, guys! And I've even seen a few things your girlfriends will not show you before a while, suckers!_

She smacked his head, a little red as she realized she had been showing him something he enjoyed greatly seeing. Of course, at first, she hadn't minded it, since her kind didn't know the notion of decency, yet now, she was starting to feel bothered by it. Maybe she was mimicking humans, in a sense?

_I didn't tell you that you could look at them!_ she hissed in sheer embarrassment.

_It isn't a big deal, right? I mean, you've nearly shoved them under my eyes a few times before, and you never wore anything to hide them._

_That's because you've never told me they were supposed to be hidden! Otherwise, I would've covered them with something! _ she replied, blushing furiously when she thought about it.

They were interrupted by Kathryn, who was being perplexed by their little argument, thought she couldn't hear them. To her, they must had been staring at each other while making faces that didn't match the situation.

-What are you doing?" she asked, an interrogative look on her face.

-Nothing, thinking about breasts and stuff." her mate answered. Though Kathryn choked on her drink, apparently much to Kane's amusement, she hit him again.

Coughing and spitting cola, the young woman finally managed to compose herself, and looked at Kane in disbelief.

"Kane, are you sure you're all right? Maybe we should call a doctor?

- I am perfectly fine, thank you. I simply felt like I should be honest today. I must say it is enjoyable to be honest for once. I was starting to get tired of always being nice."

As they left a startled Kathryn behind, they entered the house, K'tyss dying to see how humans enjoyed themselves, and practically jumping in anticipation.

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**I hope it was good enough to please you. You can review if you want, I like knowing that what I'm doing is enjoyed by people.**

**On another note, I want to thank God of Light and Shadow, who gave me a very interesting suggestion, which I've decided to use, as it is a welcome add to my story.  
**

**Next chapter should be around next Saturday, so have a good week until then, and keep reading!  
**


	17. Chapter 17- A bird in a cage

**Hello everyone! Yeah, I know, I'm late. Actually, I planned to post this a few hours ago, but I go a few bugs my Internet.**

**So, as I said, this story will now be in the "M" section, for some gore, and possibly other things (though I won't say what, I'm keeping the surprise).  
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**This week's chapter contains gore (at the very end of the chapter), so if you don't like it, you are warned.  
**

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**#I don't own Alien, Predator or AVP#**

17

A bird in a cage

**K'tyss POV**

As they entered the house, the music suddenly grew louder, startling her and making her freeze, as the sound was way louder than **anything** else she has ever heard. Reflexively, she tightened her grip on Kane's arm, as she frantically looked around, trying to calm herself by taking in the global shape of the house and the different exits, something she always did whenever she was nervous, and something that helped her to stay alive so far.

As she was looking around, a soft hand patted her head.

_Easy, K'tyss. I'm here, don't worry._

Kane's voice helped her greatly, and she felt her brain slow down the flow of panicked thoughts that had invaded it. She felt her nervousness fade away, as she concentrated on his comforting presence. Should he not have been there, she would have fled the house already.

_Thanks, Kane. I don't know what I would've done if you weren't here._

Kane blushed a little, but he looked happy to be able to help her.

Now that she was calm, she took the time to look around, to actually study what was a "party". On her right, there was a large room, where a few dozen teenagers were moving strangely ("dancing", as Kane called it. Though to her, it seemed more as if they were simply jumping around while moving their arms), with the walls covered by a few decorations, like fake spiders, bats, or spider webs. All of the students dancing were wearing costumes, though she didn't really recognize any of them, apart from a giant spider. In the back of the room, there were two giant boxes, which were where the sound ("music") came from, and behind them, on a stage, a teenager wearing a mask was using a laptop to mix the music (or so Kane told her).

On her left, there was another room, though in this one, the furniture was still there, and a few teenagers were sitting on a sofa, screaming and arguing over a game. Kane had told her about this things, boxes linked to a television, which allowed humans to play games on it, games consisting of races, of shooting, or anything else considered funny. That was something she didn't understand, having fun with games like these: what was the point of finishing them, since it wouldn't change anything in your life? Of course, playing for fun was understandable, however, she had been told that some people spent whole days playing at these games, which was something that perplexed her greatly. Why would they spend their time doing "nothing", while you could use this time to learn about the world? She quickly dismissed the thought: humans did many strange things, and it was up to them to decide what they should do of their lives, no to her. Besides, the more they would stay inside, the less likely they would be to notice the presence of aliens in their town.

While she was looking around, a few males ogled her, not really bothered by the fact that she was holding Kane's arm, since to them, he was like an inoffensive child: what harm could a blind person do to them? And how would he notice them staring at his mate? However, she had noticed them, and she made sure to show them that she wasn't interested in them by ignoring them. She didn't like their lustful stares, however, she couldn't teach them a lesson, since her hands were more or less tied by the fact that she didn't want to attract any unwanted attention.

She was relieved to see that Kane had noticed them too, and innocently dragged her to the house's kitchen, loudly saying that he needed a drink. She happily followed him, noticing the interesting reactions of the people they encountered on their way there. Some looked at her mate with pity, others glared at him when he hit their legs with his stick, and some looked at him the same way they would when seeing a disgusting bug. Kane didn't seem bothered by these reactions, which saddened her. How long had he been given such stares? It was sad that he didn't even pay attention to them, meaning he was used to this. Suddenly, she understood why her mate seemed rather cold towards other humans, even before they had met: humans considered him different, and treated him as such, and he had been treated that way for so long that he himself had started to act that way, never blending in, avoiding human contact...

Luckily, she was snapped out of her grim thoughts by Kane, who was asking her what she wanted. Of course, she didn't know what to take, but he gave her a glass filled to the brim with a fruit-smelling liquid.

_What's this?_ she asked. She smelled the liquid, earning herself a few strange looks from the teenagers who were there.

_It's orange juice. I checked to make sure there wasn't any alcohol inside. I don't know how much of it you can tolerate, and I'd rather not see you drunk tonight._

With a smile at the thought, she took the glass carefully, making sure not to crush it, as her grip was way stronger than the average human being one. The liquid's scent was tickling her nose, and she curiously tasted it. The fruitful flavor surprised her, who was used to eat meat and drink water. She quickly finished the glass with pleased sounds, enjoying every last gulp of the orange juice.

_Delicious! I've never tasted something like this!_ she said, while looking at Kane with sparkling eyes.

_I guessed as much. I always gave you water, since you were used to drink it, and I never really thought about giving you something else. I should try to make you taste a few different drinks, then._

_You mean that there are more?!_ she asked.

_Of course. Even without the drinks containing alcohol, I'm pretty sure that the number of existing drinks is over ten thousand,_ Kane answered, with a pleased look on his face

_Ten thousand? How much is this?_

_Hmm...Roughly around the same number of humans living in this part of the town, I'd say? _

She gazed at her mate in shock. That was an unbelievable amount of different drinks! And even if only a little number of them tasted this good, then it was worth it to try them all.

_K'tyss? You're drooling,_ Kane warned her.

She quickly rubbed her mouth to get rid of the drool that had indeed been dripping from it, her cheeks red in shame. She knew humans found drooling rather disgraceful, and even if Kane was the kind of man who wouldn't care about such a thing, she couldn't help but feel like she should act a little more like a human girl.

However, as he smiled, she noticed that seeing her like this had somehow pleased him, and even if she tried to act upset, she couldn't deny that seeing his smile was enough to make her happy.

**Kane POV**

After convincing K'tyss that trying every single drink in the kitchen was a bad idea, Kane showed her around the ground floor, explaining her everything he could think about in each situation, such as why the people playing video games were too concentrated to notice that the students watching them were stealing their crisps, or why the teenagers dancing were releasing ten times the amount of pheromones of ordinary students.

After touring the whole ground level, Kane decided to go upstairs, as the noise and pheromones were giving him a headache. K'tyss, for her part, wanted to look around and watch the party, so he told her to keep in touch with him, as he let her wander around the house, but not before making sure she knew how to react if a drunk teenager tried to hit on her. He didn't want to go downstairs to find a corpse, or a student lacking one of his limbs.

As he went upstairs, he noticed that very few people were there, and most of them were simply sleeping on the ground, probably too drunk to do anything more. Kane was puzzled about this kind of thing: what was so good in getting drunk to the point of not even remembering your name? Of course, he himself didn't drink any kind of alcohol, even for Christmas, not even one glass, so he wouldn't know. Yet, from seeing other teenagers in this state, he was fairly sure he didn't want to finish his nights like that, nor wake up with hangovers.

As he walked around, he spotted someone looking to the students who were dancing, though something was different from the other teenagers. It was a girl, probably a year or two younger than himself, with long, blonde hair falling on her shoulders. She was quite a beauty, though she looked a little sad. The reason for that was quite obvious: she was sitting in a wheelchair, and seeing how she was staring at the dancers, it was clear she would have liked to join them.

Kane was unsure about what to do: on one hand, he wanted to talk to her, maybe cheer her up a little, since he knew how it felt to be left out of celebrations and parties, but on the other hand, it would be rude to forcefully bring up a conversation.

Finally, he decided that it would be even ruder to let the girl alone, since nobody else seemed to notice her, and that the other students on the floor were dead-drunk. He approached her innocently, still waving his stick around, as it was a habit he had taken, since it made him look like the blind person he was supposed to be.

-Hello, miss. What are you doing here, all alone? You don't want to enjoy the party?" he asked, trying to start a conversation.

He mentally took note to slap himself later, for being so obvious in his attempt.

The girl took a glance at him, quickly sizing him up, before going back to her staring.

-...Leave me alone." was all he answered.

_Well, looks like the "Ice Queen" could take lessons from her, _he thought, a little surprised to be so abruptly turned down.

-Actually, I think it would be a shame to leave you alone, miss. Besides, I'm here basically to be a little alone, too. Mind if we both stay alone here?"

_What's wrong with me?! Am I trying to look like an idiot or what?!_ groaned Kane, as he mentally cursed himself.

-If we're both here, then we're not alone." she pointed, still looking at the crowd downstairs.

-A very interesting point, miss. Indeed, if we're both here, we can't technically say we're 'alone'. However, I believe we both know what being 'alone' means, way more than normal people, am I right?" he asked, though this time in a soft voice.

-What do you think you know?! You're not stuck in a wheelchair, are you?! So what do you know about being alone?!" she angrily yelled, though the music made it sound as if she was speaking normally.

-I believe that the stick I hold is not for decoration, either. I may not be stuck in a wheelchair, but unlike you, I can't see the world through my eyes, and people seem to think that the fact I can even manage to live a normal life is something creepy. I am _blind_, miss. So I believe I know what it means to be alone, too. But I agree that it is probably a different kind of solitude." he answered, politely, yet firmly.

His answer seemed to surprise the girl, who took a look to his stick, then to his closed eyes, before looking apologetic.

-...Please excuse me. I didn't mean to be rude, but I've seen so many people saying that they understood me...Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to...

-It's fine, miss. Err, miss who, if I may ask?

-Maria. Maria Bern. This party was organized by my brother, Keith, by the way.

-I see. Well, that's very generous of him. But if he's the one organizing the party, why doesn't he allow you to participate? I mean, you could be downstairs, talking with everybody else, enjoying a drink..."

Maria looked a little sad, yet answered:

-My brother...probably feels guilty. I know he thinks it's his fault I'm stuck in a wheelchair, so he tries to protect me from everything, but sometimes, it's just...too much. He's constantly monitoring everything I do, and he won't allow me to do anything 'dangerous', which means I can't really do anything. And if I try, he worries.

-Wait a second! Why would he feel guilty? It's not as if he was the one who caused whatever stuck you in this chair, right? So why...

-Actually, the reason why I have to stay in a wheelchair is because three years ago, I was hit by a car while I was coming back from school. My brother was just behind me, but the car missed him. I believe that seeing what happened right before his eyes must have made him feel that it should have been him, and not me, to be the one hit. Ever since, he has been only concerned about me, and not himself.

-I...see." Kane said. He was starting to understand why Keith was so concerned about Maria. If they were close before the accident, it was only natural that he would feel guilty to see his treasured sister stuck in a wheelchair while he didn't have any kind of physical injuries. Besides, Kathryn acted the same way with him, though she was still more permissive than Maria's brother if what she said was true.

-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, or to intrude in you private life, I was just, well, concerned." he explained.

-Don't worry, I was the one to be rude before, so it's only natural that I should explain myself. However, I do have a favor to ask, if you don't mind.

-Sure, go ahead. I don't really like parties, anyway. I always end up with a headache later. Too much information to handle, I guess. So, what do you want to ask?

-Actually, I wanted to ask you a little about how you see the world. I mean, you can't use your eyes to see it, but your other senses. I believe you have a fairly different insight from mine, and I would like to talk about it, if you don't mind, of course."

Kane smiled.

-Don't worry. I like talking, and it's too rare to find someone to chat about serious things to decline."

For the next hour, Kane and Maria talked about everything that came to mind, enjoying to have someone like them to talk to. Kane had never been able to chat normally with other teenagers, as his favorite subjects were too different from the ordinary ones, and Maria was someone who seemed to enjoy talking about them, though he had to explain a few things to her, since they were quite difficult, even for a girl as interested as her.

They talked about things other teenagers were too busy to think about, like the meaning of life, how being blind could change your insight of the world you lived in, and most of all, they talked about how "normal" people saw them, how they reacted to their presence. It was something they had in common, yet Maria's disability was plainly visible, while Kane's was a little less obvious, as people tended to look at her with pity, something she didn't like. Kane too had had the same experiences, and he agreed on how "normal" people were hypocrites: they pitied them, yet they would do anything to avoid them, and avoid becoming like them. Sometimes, Kane was happy to be different, since he felt that at least, he felt more fulfilled than any normal teenager. He didn't worry about grades, or pointless things, simply enjoying what he had, simple joys that anyone else would have laughed at, yet precious things to him.

As they spoke to each other, Kane noticed a boy around his age, nearly as tall as him, that looked pretty angry, coming in their direction. He had short and spiky blonde hair, and he was fairly muscular for someone his age. He was glaring at Kane, though the blind young man didn't know what he had done to deserve such anger towards him.

Maria noticed the boy a few seconds later, and her face immediately brightened in the most beautiful fake smile Kane had ever seen. He could easily tell that Maria was upset about the young man's arrival, and at the same time, she seemed a little sad, but also resigned.

-Hey, you! What are ya doing here? The party's downstairs! If you're not going to sleep here, then go back downstairs! Now get the hell away from my sister!

-Keith, we were simply chatting! There's no need to be so aggressive!"Maria tried to intervene, yet it didn't seem to have an effect on Keith at all.

-You don't him, Maria! He was the last one to see Lily before she went nuts, and I don't want him anywhere near you!"

Grabbing Kane's hand, he was going to drag him downstairs, but then, Maria did something none of them had expected: she slapped her brother.

For a while, the two young men watched her in disbelief, when Keith finally managed to ask:

-But...Maria...Why?"

Maria looked at him with a heartbroken face:

-Because I have enough! Keith, at first, it was funny to see you try to protect me, but now you've gone too far! I can't even talk to someone before you chase them away, and I know you've been spending you free time looking after me! I'm not a child, and even if I'm stuck in a wheelchair, it doesn't mean I can't do anything anymore! I just want to have a normal life, like anyone else, or something that's close enough, yet all you've been doing is pushing it away, overprotecting me!

Kane was kind enough to talk with me, and he didn't look at me as if I was a child, or even someone who deserve nothing more than pity! Do you know how difficult it is to feel normal when everyone looks at you like you're some kind of strange animal?!"

She finally started to cry, and Kane did the first he thought of: he embraced her, and whispered words of comfort. He finally managed to calm her, and the two young men watched her give them a weak smile, before going back to her room, or so Kane supposed.

While he had been comforting Maria, Keith had watched them, too surprised to say anything, but now, he was giving a completely calm air, though Kane could easily tell something was amiss.

-Would you mind coming with me, please? I'd like to ask you something, if you don't mind."

He seemed nervous, and maybe even embarrassed. Kane nodded, since he felt it was the best thing to do. Maybe he wanted to ask him how he should treat his sister, since she had just yelled at him?

Keith led them out of the house, probably wanting to avoid being noticed by the other students crowding it, and dragged him to an alley behind a supermarket close to his house. Kane was starting to worry a little, not only because K'tyss was by herself, though for what he had seen she was doing a fairly good job at avoiding trouble, but also because the place they were was not one to hold a friendly conversation.

Keith was muttering things, and finally, he turned back, and looked straight at him.

-What exactly did you talk about with my sister?" he asked.

-Well, I think that she deserve at least some privacy, so I apologize, but I can't tell you. I mean, she's old enough to know if she wants to tell you herself, so you should ask her, not me." Kane answered.

He was starting to see why Maria called her brother "overprotective". If each time he saw her speaking with someone he had to know what they had talked about, he was indeed going too far.

However, his answer didn't seem to please Keith, who was starting to look angry:

-I asked you what you talked about, dammit! So answer me!"

Kane wasn't really impressed by the sudden outburst: after all, he had seen much worse in the past few days. A foreign part of his brain wondered when he had started to find normal to be yelled at, but he didn't really care. He merely raised an eyebrow questioningly, but did nothing else.

Apparently, his lack of reaction was starting to wear out Keith's patience, as he started yelling again:

-Fine! If you don't want to tell, me, it's fine! But if I ever see you near her again, you're fuckin' dead!"

Now, Kane too was getting angry. He had been through the same kind of isolation than Maria, and the fact that hers was caused by Keith was plainly obvious, and it was something he intended to correct.

-You can't lock her away forever, you know." he started.

Keith was looking at him with anger painted on his face, yet he continued nonetheless:

-Your sister is a human being, Keith. You are her brother, it's true, but you can't keep her away from people. Besides, do you think she's really happy with the current situation? I mean, if she can't even talk to someone who has come to the party that's held in her own house, there's obviously something wrong.

-Shut the FUCK up, you bastard! What do you think ya know about her? What do you think ya know about US?

-Actually, I think I know more about how she feels than you, at the very least. I'm blind, and that, too, is a disability. I've been through the same kind of things than her, even if she had it harder than me. So I believe I can say I understand her better than you. If it wasn't the case, you wouldn't be acting like this."

Keith looked about to burst a blood vessel, and yelled:

-SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! I know what's good for her! I'm _protecting _her!

-Against what? Life? Other people? She won't always be with you, you should be aware of that, at the very least. You're treating her no better than a bird in a cage! Sure, her life won't be that easy, but do you think she can be happy if she can't even have her independence? She's old enough to know what she wants, and you don't have the right to deny it to her!

-SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU BASTARD!"

Kane barely dodged Keith's fist, aimed straight at his face, and jumped back. Unfortunately, he landed on something slimy, and slipped, falling on his back, and hitting his head on a trash can in the process.

As the world was spinning around him, he felt a punch in his stomach, making him scream in pain as the air was forcefully evacuated from his lungs. Bent over while trying to get back his breath, he felt another hit, this time on his back, that sent him flying in the trash can. Groaning in pain, he tried to get up, but his body refused to obey him, his limbs shaking. He could only see Keith come for another hit in his stomach, and this time, he couldn't help but open his eyes reflexively.

As it appeared later, it wasn't a good idea. It was even what you could call the worst idea he had had for a long time. As Keith noticed his pitch black eyes, he paused, surprised, and then went to touch his talons curiously, as all he could do was hold his stomach in pain.

-What...the..fuck?! Just WHAT are ya?!"

Apparently, he had easily managed to see that the talons were real, and that seemed to anger him even more. He began hitting Kane again, each time aiming for the stomach, and after a few hits, Kane was fairly sure that he had at least a few cracked ribs. Even if he was stronger than Keith, he was too busy trying to catch his breath to simply think of defending himself. Finally, he simply lied down, his body aching, waiting for his aggressor to finish him off.

Seeing him surrender brought a nasty smirk to Keith's face, and he sat down on his victim's stomach, his feet holding his arms down, and spit on his face.

-I don't know what ya were, but I don't give a shit. Ya shouldn't have approached my sister, ya freak!"

With an evil grin plastered on his face and with evident pleasure, he started strangling the "freak". Kane's vision started to fade, as dark spots appeared, and he distractedly though it sucked to die there, simply waiting for his life to end.

A loud scream brought him back to his senses, as he felt something warm an sticky fall on him. He painfully turned himself, trying to get up, as he saw Keith, holding his left shoulder, which was strangely missing his left arm. A tall, dark shadow was between him and Kane, hissing in anger. He distractedly wondered how Stryss had managed to get where they were so quickly but his brain was too busy trying to fix his body that he didn't really pay it any mind.

He heard Keith scream as the alien lazily approached him, her hisses becoming louder and louder. Flashes of scenes danced before his eyes, too quickly for him to register them, and he groaned in frustration, unable to understand his friend's state of mind.

A change in the screams made him snap back to reality, but when he saw what was happening, he wished he would have stayed unconscious. Stryss had stabbed Keith's right arm with her tail, turning it to cause the maximum of pain she could. Before he could tell her to stop, she brought her tail back, and properly stabbed him in the stomach. The blade easily pierced through the weak human skin, easily breaking through the tender internal organs, ripping the bones with a sickening noise. Blood spilled from the wound, and a few things Kane would rather not name made noises he didn't want to hear.

Then, when Keith's body had gone limp, she simply tossed it aside, like a broken toy. The corpse landed on the side of a trash can, with a sickening crunching sound, before staying still, as the blood started making a pool under it. The alien then turned back to Kane, who was staring at her in fear, stupefaction, and somewhere, deep down, anger.

_Stryss...What have you done?_

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, so now, things will start to get interesting. How will Kane and the sisters do now that there is a corpse in town and the police is on high alert? **_  
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**You'll see in next week chapter!  
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**By the way, thanks to all those who took the time to review or suggest things. I know I don't use all you suggestions, but I'm trying to include those who don't change the story too much, as I have already more or less planned its end (don't worry, you still have some time before it's finished).  
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**See you all next week!  
**


	18. Chapter 18-A long night

**Hello everyone! I know I'm a bit late, but I had a few difficulties while finishing this chapter.**

**I hope you'll enjoy it!**

**PS: the end of the chapter contains explicit sex, so if you don't like, don't read.**

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**##I don't own the Alien, Predator, or AVP franchise##**

18

A long night

**Stryss POV**

As she was climbing up and down the ceiling of the shelter for the twentieth time, Stryss let herself fall down, landing completely silently, as usual. She couldn't help but worry about her sister and Kane being alone at that "party". She had a bad feeling about it. She knew that K'tyss and her mate were far from stupid, and would avoid getting in situations that would risk blowing their cover, however, as an elder sister, she couldn't help but feel restless. So many things could go wrong, even with Kane doing his best to protect her sister, that she had needed all her self-control to avoid following them, and even now, she was tempted to do so.

_It's nighttime,_ she thought._ Nobody will notice me if I was to go there and check on them. At least I would know if they are safe._

She was already ready to get into the sewers when she finished thinking about it.

_I'll just make sure everything is alright, and then I'll come back here. Yeah, that sounds right._

A flash of darkness, and she was running in the sewers. Though she was bigger than the average human, she had no difficulties speeding through the conducts, quickly reaching a speed that no human runner would be able to attain. Following her predatory instincts, she tracked down Kane's signature, as she was still able to sense his mind, and went through the maze of conducts without a single hesitation on her path.

Finally coming close to a manhole, she scanned the area to see if she could go out unnoticed, and was pleased to see that the closest living being was a dog, sleeping soundly. She went through the manhole, squeezing her body to get past the tight opening, but unlike a human, she had no difficulties doing so. Her kind was naturally made to fit into spaces someone her size wouldn't have been able to enter normally, after all, a very useful skill when it came to gathering unwilling hosts to bear their young.

She was only a few streets away from the party, yet she could easily hear the sound coming from it. _How can they even sleep when something this noisy is going on?_ she wondered. Of course, since humans had very poor hearing skills, the sound shouldn't bother them as much as her, but still, it was **way** too loud!

As she climbed on the closest house's roof, she decided that she should at least get close enough to make sure nothing was amiss, and leapt expertly from house to house, the night's darkness providing her with more than enough camouflage, even with the town's lights illuminating it.

Finally, she reached the house next to the one housing the party, and curiously observed what the humans were doing, though she had a hard time to concentrate, the noise drilling her head. For what she could see, most of the humans outside were talking, even if she spotted a couple going at it behind the house. Nearly all of them smelled strange, and she spotted a few males lying on the grass, snoring, which were the one whose scent was the strangest. The unknown smell was way stronger in their scent than the other humans' ones.

After taking note about this, she was about to start looking for Kane and her sister, when she felt a strong pain in her stomach, surprising her. With a loud hiss, luckily covered by the noise coming from the house, she turned around, feeling Kane's mind suddenly going haywire, filling with surprise and suffering. Another peak of pain in her stomach made her growl. Whatever was happening, Kane had managed to get into trouble again, and he was getting beaten up quite good.

Following his signature, she leapt on a few houses, stopping on one who was nearby what Kane had called a "supermarket", when he had told them about Earth and human habits. He had warned them that they always had security cameras, filming the front and the inside, and that it would be judicious to avoid getting within their range. He had also told them that an easy way to avoid being seen would be climbing on their roofs, as no cameras would be there, allowing them to get around safely.

However, these useful pieces of information were nearly discarded when she saw that a human male was beating Kane up, without him even answering his blows. She then saw her sister's mate fall on his back, and stay lying on the ground, while his aggressor started strangling him.

At that very moment, something awoke inside Stryss' mind, something not too far from maternal instinct, yet at the moment it was simply an imperious urge to protect Kane at all costs. All the things he had given them, all his advices about being careful not to do something rash, to avoid being noticed, went through the window. There was one thought, and only one in her mind: **Protect Kane, kill his aggressor.**

With superhuman speed, she closed the distance between the house's roof and the supermarket's one, not even stopping before crawling across it and down it's wall, landing behind the human's back. A shot with her tail, and one of his arms went flying, his blood splattering on Kane and around him, as the wounded male tried to stop the bleeding by holding his shoulder. Foolish human. With a growl, she walked towards him, until he was stuck to the supermarket's wall. Her tail shot once again, this time piercing the arm he still had attached, and with a dark satisfaction, she twisted it, tearing the flesh, and crushing his bones.

Then, when she was sure the impudent human who tried to kill a member of her family had suffered enough, she retracted her tail, only to shoot it into said human's stomach, piercing through his body and bones, and covering the ground in blood as the bodily fluid started leaking from the wound. All life left the male's eyes, and with a last hiss, she tossed the corpse aside, no longer interested in it, as her sole objective had been to protect Kane.

When she turned to look at him, however, she could see that she had gone too far: he was staring at her in disbelief and fear, though she seemed to see also a little anger in his attitude.

_Stryss...What have you done?_

**Kane POV**

For a little while, he kept on staring at Stryss, a foreign part in his brain noticing the sound of blood dripping from her tail. Finally, his brain managed to piece together what had happened, and he retched, vomiting his stomach's content on the ground, the only way his body had found to express the shock of seeing someone violently killed in front of him.

Stryss simply stood there, watching him give back everything he had, not even trying to approach him, as if she had suddenly realized what she had done. Of course, he knew he owed her his life, but it was one thing knowing it, but accepting the fact that to save his life she had killed someone, _in front of him_, no less, was something else entirely. She seemed to understand how he was feeling, as she did not try to say anything, respecting his silence, even if a low hiss showed her concern for him.

Finally, he got up, although his whole body was nothing but pain, his heart was beating loudly in his ears, and he felt surprisingly foreign to his own body. He was dizzy, and for the first time in a long while, he wished he would _really_ have been blind. As he stumbled forward, Stryss appeared before him, holding him to prevent his fall. He could have pushed her back, he could have yelled at her for killing someone, he did not. He simply stood there, supported by the alien that had just murdered someone no older than him, only to save him.

He felt surprisingly tired, both physically and mentally, after being beaten up, strangled, and having witnessed a scene that most people would find repulsing. He felt tears on his cheeks, and he didn't try to stop them, allowing himself to cry, cry in frustration, cry in anger, letting out the feelings he had bottled up since he had been abducted. At the time he hadn't really felt anything, apart from surprise and shock, yet now he realized he had been scared, angered, and frustrated by his weakness. He could have kept everything inside for very long, but witnessing someone's death had brought out these feelings.

Finally, he felt himself losing consciousness, as his brain shut everything out, trying to process the overflow of information.

He regained consciousness on his bed, and tried getting up, only to find a concerned K'tyss beside him. When he moved, he awoke her, and for a moment she stared at him, before hugging him so hard he felt as if his ribs were going to break.

_Kane, thank Mother! I was worried sick when Stryss told me someone tried to kill you again! And you were not waking up...I was so scared!_

Hugging his girlfriend back, smelling her scent, feeling her body against his, all that helped Kane to calm down. He was there, with his girlfriend. He had nothing else to worry about. He then noticed that someone was missing.

_Where's Stryss?_ he asked. He curiously wanted to see her, although he didn't know what he would do when he would see her. He was thankful that she had saved him, but at the same time, a part of him felt like avoiding her, when he remembered what she had done to save him.

That was the question: what would he do when he would see her? Thank her? Probably, but then what? Would they both avoid the matter, fearing that it would destroy their current relation? A part of him just wanted to forget what he had seen, but another one, cold and logical, knew it would be even more dangerous in the long run, and that it would be better to sort it out the quicker the better.

_She's not here. She brought you here, and then she left for the shelter,_ K'tyss answered. _Kane, I know that you told us not to kill, but that man was going to murder you! Stryss was very worried about you, but I could tell that she was scared of your reaction. I won't tell you not to be mad, but please, try to see things her way: we have been brought up in a kill or be killed environment, and sometimes, in situation like this, getting rid of the one who's trying to kill you is the only way to do things. So please, try to talk to her before saying anything. You know that for us you are a precious member of our family, and we don't want you to hate us._

Her voice was filled with fear and worry, obviously of how he would react. However, his brain didn't seem to come up with a definite response to the situation, so even he did not know what he would say or do. He could understand that for the two sisters, when someone tried to kill you, if you could get rid of him, you should do so without hesitating. In his world, however, you could either kill the person in legitimate defense, or you could bring him/her to the police, he/she would then most likely be put in jail. There was a clash between the part of his brain which wanted to acknowledge Stryss' actions as the best possible ones, and the one which claimed that this should be settled by human justice.

Finally, after thinking for a while, he looked at K'tyss:

_I...don't know what I'll tell her yet, but...Look, I know she saved my life and all, but...Well, I'm not as used as you are to the "life or death" notion, so...I...guess I'll talk to her about it. Actually, I don't really know how I feel about it, but even if I'm angry with her, it's not to the point of not being able to solve it with a good talk. I will still need time to come to terms with it, though._

Seeing K'tyss smile, he added:

_I think I need I good shower. It'll help me think. Besides, I'm still covered in blood, and I hate the feeling._

True, Kane could tell that he reeked of blood, and a few spots on the ground told him he should better clean them quickly, otherwise he may get into trouble. He should also clean his sheets, who had red traces on them, but that could wait, as it was less noticeable.

As he went for the bathroom, he noticed that K'tyss was following him:

_What are you doing?_ he asked.

The question earned him a glare from K'tyss. Suddenly, he felt the need to apologize, though he didn't know why.

_You've managed to get into trouble again, and you've got me worried sick. So now, I'll be sure to follow you everywhere. That way, even if you get into trouble, I'll be there to help you._

As he tried to protest, she glared at him once more.

_No discussions._

_Yes, Ma'am!_ he answered, completely terrified by the new side of his girlfriend he had just discovered. His privacy may have been important, but his life was more important than that.

Entering the bathroom, he took off his shirt, sending it in the trash can. He was about to take off his jeans, when something cold touching his skin made him jump.

_What are you doing?! _he asked K'tyss, who was running her fingers on his back.

To be honest, he didn't dislike the sensation, however, he already had enough on his mind without needing to worry about his girlfriend surprising him.

_Just looking. It's the first time I can see a living human so close, do you remember?_

Kane just sighed. He was too tired to argue anyway, so as long as she wouldn't do anything too strange, it was probably good to let her do as she wanted.

That attitude lasted until he stood in his pants. He was then much less willing to let her do as she pleased. Unlike K'tyss, who had only recently started showing signs of understanding human decency, he had been brought up with it, so he was NOT willing to let her see him nude.

She was currently looking at him, probably interested in how his exoskeleton stopped near his shoulders, with dark roots drawing a strange pattern on his otherwise pale skin. They went down towards his chest, yet they didn't reach it. On his back, however, the dark armor had covered his shoulders and sides, stopping around the middle of his back. That provided him some kind of protection if someone was to attack him from behind. Given the past week, he felt like it was bound to happen someday.

_K'tyss...I know you are concerned, however, I will never be able to wash myself if you stay here. I would greatly appreciate if you could wait outside, at least until I get out of the shower and put some pants on._

Pouting, yet probably understanding he didn't need any kind of pressure for the moment, she left the bathroom.

_Now, back to business. I'll have to brush hard to make sure nothing is left._

**K'tyss POV**

As she restlessly walked around in Kane's room, she couldn't help but worry again for him. She has seen what had happened, since Stryss had been kind enough to show her why her mate had been injured in the first place. As of now, he was taking a shower to wash off the blood still on his body, and for what she had witnessed, he had calmed down. She had nearly got a heart attack when she had seen how he had broken down after Stryss had killed that human male. Not that her kind could get a heart attack anyway.

She then thought about he had acted after waking up. At the very least, he seemed a little lost about what he was going to say to her sister, but she believed that after a good argument things should go back to the way they were. She knew him enough to know that even if he had witnessed Stryss killing someone in front of him, he could still understand why she had done it. And she was fairly sure that he wouldn't bear a grudge, after all, she had saved him. It was about time that he understood that he had to stop being friendly towards everybody, given that how he was now, it could very well be his downfall.

As she had stated, she was going to stick to him almost permanently, just to make sure he wouldn't get into trouble again. He was too precious to her to risk seeing something happen to him. He was just _too_ kind for his own good. Who would use their body to shield her sister from a blow that could easily have killed him? Who would take the time to talk to a girl in a "wheelchair" and make her laugh when everyone else was enjoying a party? Yes, she had spied on him when he had been talking to Maria, as she didn't like the idea of another girl close to him, yet she had to admit, she probably deserved someone to talk to, seeing how her brother acted. She had left when he had went to the two teenagers, but now she regretted leaving Kane's side. She knew full well that he wasn't the kind of man to fight back if he hadn't a reason to, then why had she left him with an angry male?

Refusing to let her guilt get the better of her, she tried thinking about something else. Meaning, what she had seen of Kane's body before he had politely asked her to let him take his shower alone. Not that she would have minded helping him in cleaning his body. She had had a clear view of it, and what she had seen was enough to make her drool and blush at the same time. His exoskeleton covered his two arms, and a few dark roots trailed down to his chest, stopping around his neck, yet on his back it already protected no less than half of it. Though, it seemed as if these parts were thinner than the others, but given how he had mutated over the past week, she was fairly sure it was only a matter of time before it got as thick than the rest.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of the bathroom's door opening. Kane was standing there, a towel over his head, and his hair dripping wet. He was simply wearing jeans, and his bare chest was covered by drops of water. She could see his chest getting up and down as he breathed, and the sight was quite attractive, not to say that he had a fairly developed body, probably the result of his healthy lifestyle and mutation into whoever else might have considered a monster, but that she saw as a piece of art.

She hadn't noticed yet, but her breathing had begun getting ragged, and her pupils were wide open, though she probably didn't know it either. Her whole body was feeling hot, as if it was burning. Her tail was wagging slowly, and she couldn't help but stare at her mate, who was blissfully ignorant of the strange thoughts that had started to go through her head. Thoughts about pinning him down and doing a lot of things that most people would not even dare imagine, for instance.

As he smiled at her, she felt herself start losing control of her body, getting up and tentatively walking towards him in a predatory manner, her tongue licking her lips in anticipation. Needless to say, Kane quickly noticed that something was wrong, and backed off until he found himself with his back to the wall.

_What the...? K'tyss? I don't like the look you're giving me. Is something wrong?_

His voice didn't reach her brain, too far gone under her instincts' assaults, and she continued to get closer to him, until she was merely inches away from her mate. The look of incomprehension and dread on his face only fueled her urge to make him hers right then and there. As Kane opened his mouth to voice whatever concern he had about her behavior, she literally crushed his lips with hers, her arms hugging him in an embrace no human would be able to escape from, and her tail wrapped around his left leg, preventing her prey from getting away.

Actually, said prey didn't even try to get away, since for some reason, his brain seemed to have stopped functioning properly, as he simply stood there, probably trying to understand what was happening. She easily managed to slid her tongue into his mouth, pushing his, and moving it like a snake, drowning herself in the pleasure she felt from kissing the one person she loved the most in the universe. As she kissed him, she pressed her body against his, asking for a proximity she couldn't achieve yet.

A significant rise of her mate's body temperature informed her that even if he seemed too haggard to understand what was happening, at least consciously, his body had very well understood her intentions, and what obviously responding favorably to her ministrations. She also felt something hard press against her stomach, another sign that the man she loved was somehow understanding and accepting what she wanted.

As she paused, stopping her kiss to let her love take in some air, she had the pleasure to see his lips move, and hear a faint groan of protestation. He was still looking startled, but she could see that he was beginning to get back to his senses. Deciding that leaving him the time to collect himself and maybe (well, that was a very big _maybe_) interrupt her would be a bad idea, she went back to kissing him, while her hands were slowly caressing his chest.

Finally, she went for his jeans, taking his belt and tearing it away, as she was not willing to take the time to unbutton it, she took off his jeans, leaving him in his boxers, now painfully stretched under his precious parts' pressure. _That_ was a part she was wondering about, too. Her kind, well, the pure-blood one, didn't have any physical differences between males and females, it was all a matter of mindset. The Queen was the only one able to lay eggs and allow the Hive's expansion, yet she was about to have her way with her mate, something humans would normally do to reproduce. Until then, she had followed her instincts to know what to do, but they were starting to become less useful, as she was starting to wonder what she had to do. She knew it had something to do with what was concealed in Kane's pants, and probably with what she had under the skeleton on her crotch, since it was the most covered part in human clothing.

Finally, she chose to do what she thought was best, and took off the boxers. That was the moment her mate chose to wake up.

Grabbing her by the arms, he pushed her back on his bed, as she was too surprise to even think of pushing back. Finally, they laid down on the bed, with her under Kane, who for once had his eyes wide open, the darkness in them staring at her. A human would have found them scary, lifeless, yet to her, they radiated love, beyond any form of comprehension. And now those eyes were scrutinizing her, her body, with infinite love in them, as well as a difficultly contained lust, and nothing, _nothing_, could have made her happier than she was at the moment.

_Are you okay with this?_

Her mate's question surprised her. She had been the one to start the whole thing, to push him against a wall, undress him, but he still wanted to know if she was okay with the idea of having sex with him?

_Why? Haven't I been the one to start? _she stated, bluntly.

A light chuckle came to her ears.

_True. But the look on your face when you saw what was in my pants told me that you probably don't have any idea on what to do, am I wrong? If I was one of your kind, maybe, but since I am not, I must assume that you don't know anything about human copulation, right?_

With a sad nod, she answered:

_Yes, sorry._

This time, a loud laughter echoed through the room and in her mind.

_You're "sorry" you don't know anything about human sex? First of all, you didn't have any reason to know about it in the first place, and second, I'm just as inexperienced as you. Well, I _do_ have more knowledge than you, but it's only things I learnt from there and there, nothing I experienced firsthand. It's a first for me too, and to be honest, I'm real glad it's with you. I guess I never told you before, but in term of human standards, any man I know would be ready to do anything simply to have sex with you!_

As she peered into the two dark orbs looking at her, she knew he was saying the truth, and that only made her happier. She used her tail to bring the smooth talker she had for a mate closer to her, and kissed him once again, shoving her unusually (well, at least for a human) tongue into his mouth, enjoying his taste. Her fingers were playing with his skin, his so very human skin, and on where it changed into the hard and protective skeleton of her kind.

In turn, his hands started touching her, carefully tracing every part of her body, and finally reaching out for her now bare breasts. As soon as he touched them, she felt a moan escape her mouth, followed by a second, and then a third. She didn't know she could feel that good!

A pleased groan told her that Kane was also pleased by her ministrations, or maybe enjoying seeing her shake from the pleasure. However, her mind was a little too concentrated on the pleasure she felt to choose between the two.

As her mate moved from simply caressing her breasts to licking them, she let out a surprised scream, not too far from what a human girl would have produced. Reaching for the long _thing_ that had been inside his pants, she carefully touched, making him shiver, and then took it gently, yet firmly, in her hand.

A loud groan told her that the man currently on her was quite pleased with the sensation. Cautiously, she tried to massage it, and received a few pleasured moans as an answer. She then sped up, earning herself very appreciative groans from Kane.

Apparently not wanting to be the only one on the receiving end, he massaged her breasts, sucking on them, licking them, and that was nearly enough to make her mind blank out. However, his hand then left her breast, and went down to her crotch. Rubbing it carefully, he looked quite surprised to see her bend suddenly, her tail slamming down with a loud thud.

A little exhausted, she stared at her mate. Mother that he was perfect! Everyone should have someone like him. Not that she would let anyone approach HER mate.

_K'tyss? Are you ready?_

Snapping out of her dreamlike state, she saw that he was only inches away from her, his _thing_ near her crotch, and his hands had opened the slit-like opening of her private place. With a nod, she watched him position himself, and then slowly push forward.

The feeling wasn't unpleasant, and then quickly grew more pleasurable as more of himself went into her. When he was around halfway done, he stopped to look at her.

_Are you okay? Does it hurt?_

She nearly let out a frustrated groan, and deciding to take things in hand, she closed her legs around his waist. With a lustful smile, she then pushed him inside far quicker than he himself had gone. For a second, her mind went blank again, and before she could ask what was happening to her, Kane started pushing himself in and out, silencing whatever conscious thoughts she still had. She didn't even notice that she had once again wrapped her tail around one of his legs, as all she could think about was the completely overwhelming pleasure she was feeling.

A foreign part of her brain noticed that her mate was accelerating his thrusts, and she instinctively tightened her hold on his waist, just before a loud groan echoed in both her mind and the room and her mind blacked out.

A little later, she was lying on Kane's side, a contented smile on her face. Just before going to sleep, she looked at Kane:

_Don't forget to talk with Stryss, darling. Good night._

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, as it was my first time writing a sex scene ( hope it was good enough for you).**_  
_

**The poll on my profile (Who's you favorite character so far?) is still active on my profile. Please take the time to review and vote, it's always appreciated.**

**Thanks to those who read this chapter and reviewed it!**

**Next chapter should be done around the same time next week (maybe earlier if I have time and if I'm inspired), so see you all next week!**

**Oh yeah: HAPPY NEW CHINESE YEAR!**


	19. Chapter 19-Trouble

**Hello everyone! Here is this week's chapter! It's a little shorter than usual but next chapter should be longer than usual, so I hope you'll be fine with this.**

**Enjoy!**

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##**I don't own Alien, Predator, or AVP**##

19

Trouble

**Kane POV**

Kane woke up in the middle of the night, after a nightmare where he had been repeatedly killing Keith. He was covered in sweat, but not from having a nightmare, as he remembered the last thing he had done before going to bed. A huge grin made its way on his face as he stared at the sleeping figure next to him. K'tyss was lying on his left side, using his shoulder as a pillow, and had an _extremely_ happy look plastered on her face. Her tail was wrapped around his leg, probably some kind of protective reflex to prevent him from going anywhere without her. She _had_ stated that she would be following him everywhere, after all.

That in itself would prove to be a challenge: he still had classes to attend, and he wasn't going to let her follow him to school, that was for sure. Sneaking in at night was one thing, since the darkness would easily allow her to hide, but it would be different during the daytime. She would never manage to get around unnoticed, even more so that she would probably try to be with him most of the time, meaning she would be close to a few hundred humans who would call the police and even the military as soon as they would spot her.

He wasn't worried, anyway. He knew he would be able to talk some sense into her, and if not, he could still ask Stryss to keep an eye on her. She wasn't going to allow her little sister to endanger herself so easily, that was for sure. However, that asked for him to talk to her and clear up what had happened the day before. After what had happened, he could understand her actions, but he needed to look a little displeased, otherwise she might start to think of killing humans as something acceptable.

With a sight, he delicately tried to reach Stryss' mind. He was fairly sure she wasn't sleeping, but if he was wrong, he didn't want to wake her.

_Stryss? Are you still awake?_ he asked, in the telepathical equivalent of a whisper.

_...What?_ a sullen voice answered.

Kane wasn't surprised to be received by the tone of the answer. Actually, he had half-expected her to not even answer him if she was awake. That was understandable, though. He had nearly gotten himself killed, and then he had acted like what could have been seen as a spoiled child by the alien.

_Well, at least you're answering. I'd like to talk about yesterday, if you don't mind._

_...What happened yesterday?_

Kane inwardly sighed. It was clear as day that she had no intention to speak about what happened at all, and he was left with the rather unpleasant choice between abiding by her will to forget what had happened or press the matter and look like an insistent bastard. The old him would probably have chosen the abiding part, but with what had happened, he no longer wished to stay the kind, easygoing man he had been for the biggest part of his life.

_Look, I know you don't want to talk about it. Neither do I. But as things are, it turns out that we both care for K'tyss, and being at odds won't do her any good. Neither to us. So I'd like to talk about it. Please._

A persistent silence answered him, and he was starting to think that she had decided to simply ignore him, until he heard a faint sigh.

_You won't leave me alone until you've got what you wanted, right?_

_I'm afraid not._

_When did the crybaby become such a responsible man, I wonder?_ a half-amused, half-dejected Stryss asked. _Probably after you had your way with my sister, I imagine?_

Kane was at a loss of words.

_Oh, perhaps I surprised you? But you see Kane, your mental voice is so badly controlled that both my sister and myself can feel your pain, so the pleasure both of you felt wasn't exactly something I could ignore, even if I wanted to. Good Mother! It was like I was watching you going at it!_

Dumbfounded was an understatement to describe how Kane felt.

_Wha...How...Just...I can explain!_

_I don't want you to explain, idiot! K'tyss has been waiting for this for at least since we first went to your grandfather's place! I'm happy that she finally managed to get what she wanted. However, I hope you're going to shape up, because I don't want her to be the one always saving you. I expect you to at least be able to help her when she needs it. For what I've seen so far, you're already doing a good job, at least when it doesn't come to handling fights. Which brings us back to what happened yesterday._

Kane sighed. That, at least, was a subject he could handle without blushing furiously.

_Yes. I am ashamed to admit that I didn't see him coming, well at least until it was too late. You managed to save me, AND avoid leaving any witness of your presence, but what you've done may have the opposite effect. By the way, what did you do with the corpse?_

_I dragged it into the sewers. By now it could be anywhere in there._

He let out a relieved sigh.

_Well, that was a very good idea. The blood will still be there, but as long as there is no corpse, the police will have a hard time proving that he's dead._

_Thank you. From what you had told us, I assumed it was a good idea to hide it._

_Yeah. Aside from that, I apologize for how I reacted. Really. I had no right to be angry at you when you saved my life. I was just, well...I guess I was just too shocked. Most people never see someone getting killed, and even less in such a way. So I just, well...I freaked out. For a second, I even thought that you would kill me. I know it's stupid, but I just couldn't help it._

He heard a groan in his head.

_Well, you _are_ human. It's only understandable that you'd be terrorized when someone of your own species is killed before your eyes. I've been through that, too. Although it was a long time ago._

_Mind talking about it?_ he asked, curious. Maybe learning about her past would help him understand her better.

_You already know about our life in the lab, don't you? Well, it happened a little after K'tyss was born, when she was little more than a baby. At the time, I wasn't really as dependable as I am now. The "older sister" who took care of us was one of the first hybrids to be created. She was very kind, always taking care of K'tyss and me, even if I was little more than a wild beast at the time. It was not to the point that I was like those mindless monsters we had to kill later, but more as if I didn't know how to behave apart from attacking whoever got close to me. _

_One day, we were sent into a closed room, the three of us: the "older sister", K'tyss, and me. We didn't know why, but all that mattered that we were together. Even as I was, I was still able to recognize "her" as someone I could be at ease with, even if most of the time I answered her acts of kindness by lashing at her. _

As Stryss went on, Kane noticed that her "voice" was getting sad.

_It happened too fast. A door on the side opened, and the last thing I remember is seeing something running in my direction. When I came back to my senses, our "older sister" had a hole in her stomach, an arm ripped off, but she had managed to weaken the beast that attacked us. I quickly killed it, but there was no way to save "her". All I could do was watch her die, with K'tyss crying at our side. That was when I finally managed to start acting as I do now, like this "older sister", even if I'm probably not as good as her._

_That's not true! _Kane growled. _Do you think that K'tyss would love you that much if you were that bad at being the older sister? Do you think that saving my life was something a bad elder sibling would do? Nonsense! You've been through more than me, yet you're still a good older sister. That in itself, is more than impressive!_

For a while, none of them said anything. Kane was worried that he might have gotten a little carried away, but a faint laughter eased his nerves.

_Well, it seems that you're not only a responsible man, but also a smooth talker. Thank you. It has bugging me for longer than you can imagine._

_My pleasure. So, I hope we can continue being family, right?_

_Yeah. Although that next time you're going to do it with K'tyss, please tell me beforehand, or find a way to control your voice. I had a hard time here, with both of you driving me nuts!_

Kane laughed nervously.

_I'll try. I don't really like the idea of having someone mentally observing me having sex._

_K'tyss didn't tell you? In our kind, we don't hide when we do such things. The more of the Hive knows about it, the better._

_ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!_

_Of course. We just don't really care who can see us or not. It's not as if we were as inhibited as humans. AND our way to do it is different._

Kane difficultly repressed a relieved sigh.

_Please, don't make anymore jokes like that. It's bad for my heart._

_Whatever. I'll be going to sleep now, if you don't mind._

_Oh, yeah. Of course not. See you tomorrow._

Letting his mind go back to where he was, he sleepily wondered if the door of his room had been closed, and found that he didn't really care about Kathryn finding him in his bed with a girl. _That_ was something that should have frightened him, but the new him felt as if he should try to care less about stupid things like others' opinions. He had cared for about ten years, and that hadn't really served him well. It was time to get some fun in his life.

With a yawn, he turned himself to face K'tyss, careful not to wake her or move her head from his shoulder, and went back to sleep with the sweet scent of his girlfriend tickling his nose.

**Stryss POV**

As she closed the discussion with Kane, she inwardly sighed. That man was a mystery. He was kind, intelligent, he was way more dangerous than any other _normal_ humans his age, yet sometimes he acted a little like a child.

However, it had indeed been refreshing to talk to him. Apart from the surprise she had felt when she had been able to feel their little activity, she had feared that he would be angered at her, or maybe too scared or shocked to even try and talk about it with her. If having his way with her sister, which, by the way, was something K'tyss herself had hoped for, could help him get over his lack of confidence and shape up, then she wasn't about to complain.

With what was the equivalent of a human groan, she let herself fall from the ceiling of the shelter, landing in absolute silence, as always. She felt refreshed, that much was true, but she wondered how he had managed to get her to talk about her "older sister". Not even K'tyss knew about her, though she had sworn to herself that one day she would tell her about it. Then again, he was probably the only person she had with whom she could speak about this subject. Well, at least, now that he had gone over the fact she had killed someone in front of him.

She herself didn't really know why she had went that far. Of course, she would never had the man let go without at least making sure he would never again try to hurt Kane, but that didn't mean she had to kill him. The thing was that she remembered very well how she had felt, but that she couldn't explain _why_ she had felt like that. She had felt the need to protect, the need to defend a member of her family from someone who was harming him. Unfortunately, the urge had been so strong that it had overwritten anything else, even the need to keep a low profile. In fact, had a camera been filming the scene, she would probably not even bothered to hide, therefore making their previous efforts to go unnoticed useless.

She had a fairly good idea of what was happening to her, but somewhere, deep down, she was hoping that she was wrong. Because if she wasn't, then things would start to get out of hand, and if she had learnt anything from their previous experiences, it was that when something went wrong, it would go _extremely_ badly for their little family.

_No use to worry about it,_ she thought._ It isn't something I have control over, anyway, and K'tyss and I have been through far more dangerous situations than this. And Kane seems to have at least some brains, so he should be able to get out of any trouble that should come_.

That was what she told herself, yet she couldn't help but worry. She was worried about K'tyss, of course, moderately for herself, but most of all, she was worried about Kane. Within the last few days, and even more know that she had felt his little "fun" with her sister, she had started to think of him as of a little brother, someone she deeply cared for. If anything was to happen to him, she didn't know what she would do, and even more worrying was the fact that she didn't know what _K'tyss_ would do. Mother knew she was in love with him, and what she would do if anyone did anything to him. She would most likely be devastated, and knowing her, she would probably be obsessed with the idea of avenging her mate, oblivious of her own well-being.

However, she thought, if she was correct, she herself would probably be able to protect her should the need arise. Of course, if Kane could do it himself, then it was all the better, but if not, then she would have to do it herself. She wasn't about to let her sister get into trouble.

**K'tyss POV**

She was in Heaven. A few hours ago, she had finally made Kane hers, and he had made her his. And now, she was lying with him in the bed, watching him sleep with great pleasure. His sleeping face was something she would probably never get tired of. His frowns, little moans or cries, his unconscious grins, were all fascinating, each in their own way, but most of all, it was his face. The face of the only man to ever have helped her, the first man to have _cared_ for her, and the first man willing to protect her, even at the cost of his own life. Of course, she didn't want him to die for her, but to know that he would as far as giving his life for her said long about how much he loved her.

With a smile, she pushed aside a strand of dark hair which was tickling his nose, given how each time it touched it, Kane winced. She could see his shoulders, as well as the dark skeleton covering them. That made her feel a little remorse: she was the one responsible for his mutation, the one to blame when he wouldn't be able to fit into human society anymore. However, said remorse quickly receded, as she remembered that human society had already made Kane a social outcast, for the only reason he was blind and didn't like being with other people.

That didn't matter, anyway. Human rules didn't apply to him anymore, not now that he was becoming like her. The useless human society, the idiotic students, every last rotten thing tied to humans would soon mean nothing to him. The only thing that would matter would be their love and their family. Speaking of family, K'tyss was wondering how things would turn out: would Stryss become a Queen, and lay eggs? Would she, too become a Queen, or would she start reproducing like humans did?

When she thought of reproduction, she blushed, remembering full well how she had felt when she had been making love with Kane. Until then, she had always found the human way of reproduction quite ineffective, at least in terms of survival in a harsh environment, but now, she had to admit, maybe her kind was missing something.

Thinking about what she had done triggered curious feelings, and her stomach tightened. She quickly suppressed the urge she was feeling, as for now Kane was sleeping, and would probably not be very happy being awakened. And given what he had seen, she wanted him to sleep. He deserved at least that much.

With a last smile, she snuggled against Kane's torso, wanting to feel his warmth, his scent and his heartbeat. She used her tail to cover both of them with the sheets that had, at some point, been pushed back in the bed, and then, when she was satisfied, she wrapped it around Kane's thigh, careful not to cut him with the blade at the end of it. She then closed her eyes, and allowed herself to go to sleep, the soft sound of her mate's heartbeat soothing her.

**Kane POV**

It had been two days since the party. Of course, the next day, Kathryn had been upset that he hadn't told her he was going home, and he had thought for a moment that she was going to slap him, but in the end, he had managed to create a convenient excuse, something about "Kristin" being tired, and his phone not working properly.

For the last two days, he had listened to every rumor he could gather concerning Keith's disappearance, but most of them were about him running off, or things he knew were wrong. Of course, after twenty-four hours, the police had started looking for him, but luckily for Kane, it had rained later that night, meaning that the pool of blood behind the supermarket had been washed off, so the odds that anyone would discover he was dead, at least in the next weeks, was slim.

Stryss had been acting strangely, too, but when he had asked her if something was wrong, she had shrugged it off, saying that she was feeling a little sick. He hadn't preyed further as it was not his business, even if he had told her to sleep in the shelter, stating that resting was the best thing that she could do. And indeed she had been resting, since he hadn't been able to talk to her since the day before. It was for the best, he had thought. He hadn't thought about the fact that human diseases could affect them worse than it would have affected humans, but K'tyss had stated that none of her kind had ever been sick before, at least during the last generation.

Of course, when he had said he was going to school, he also had had to make sure that K'tyss would understand that she couldn't be with him all the time, and he had assured her that he would be careful.

Needless to say, the instant he had returned from school, she had been all over him, and it had taken quite some time to calm her down. Seeing that he hadn't been injured in any way, she had reluctantly agreed to let him go to school, but warned him that at the slightest sign of danger, she would come and get him.

"Kane? Are you listening to me?"

He was brought back to reality by the sound of Kathryn's voice. They were both walking to school for the last day before holidays, and she had been talking for quite some time.

"Uhm? Oh, sorry. Guess I didn't get enough sleep this night." he answered, trying to sound apologetic. He nervously fidgeted with his sunglasses, trying to look interested in what his sister was saying.

She pouted.

"Like I was saying, don't you find it strange? I mean, not so long ago, Lily goes all silent-by the way, I heard that we can now visit her, the hospital isn't too far-, and now, Keith disappears. I can't say that both things are related, but in so little time, it's strange, don't you think? There's something fishy about all this, I know there is."

Kane laughed nervously. He couldn't really tell her that the most fishy things were happening right beside her, without her even noticing it.

They were passing the school gates, when Mr. Smith called them over. A little curious about what he wanted, they went to him.

"Kane, the director would like to see you in his office, could you come with me?"

A little perplexed, he agreed, though he was wondering why the director would want to see him. Kathryn seemed worried, but he assured her it was nothing, and waving his hand, he left her there, as he went with the teacher.

The students gave the pair surprised looks, Mr Smith pushing aside anyone in their way, while Kane was waving his stick around, supposedly to avoid walking into someone. He was starting to get nervous, as it was the first time he was asked to come to the director's office, and Mr. Smith wasn't helping. Apart from what he had told him at the entrance, the teacher hadn't said anything, and was strangely not answering the few questions he had been asking.

Finally, they arrived to their destination, and after knocking once, the teacher opened the door.

"I brought him, as you asked, sir.

-Good. Let him in, and then you can go back to your class. Thank you, Mr. Smith." a deep voice said.

Pushing Kane into the office, the teacher then left. The room was well-lit, with a bay window allowing a good sight of the school's training grounds. Several shelves with books were lined against the walls, and a few pictures were hanging here and there. Before the bay window, an imposing wooden desk was covered with a computer, a phone, and several sheets of paper. Behind the desk, a man in his mid-fifties was sitting staring at him. He was bald, and was currently messing with his beard. He was wearing glasses, and it made him look a little stern.

"Good morning, Kane. I apologize for making you miss you class, but we would like to talk about a few things with you."

Only then did he notice that they weren't alone: a man was sitting before the director's desk, looking at him with scrutinizing eyes. He was wearing a black coat, as well as what he supposed were leather gloves. He looked around his thirties, and had short, well-combed hair.

Kane was starting to feel that something was amiss, but before he could say anything, the man got up and lazily walked up to him. Extending a hand to him, he gave him a grave nod.

"Pleased to meet you. My name's John Strauss."

Realizing it would be rude not to answer, Kane extended his hand, simulating blindness when he missed Strauss' hand from a few millimeters, before grasping it into a firm handshake.

"The pleasure's for me, Mr. Strauss. If it's not too rude, may I ask why I'm here?"

With a wry smile, the man sized him up.

"Well, it may take some time, so why don't we take a seat?"

A little suspicious, Kane walked to the other chair waiting for him before the desk, and sat down. He was starting to get nervous. He didn't like how Strauss was looking at him. And why had he been asked to come to the director's office in the first place?

"Now, let's cut to the case. Did you know Mr. Keith Ashworth well?"

**Stryss POV**

The world was dark, and she was surrounded by silence. She lazily moved around in her cocoon, shifting her body's weight to be more comfortable, an unconscious reflex to feel better in the little place inside the hard walls.

_Wait a little, Kane, K'tyss. I'll be able to protect you soon. Very soon..._

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**So, do you have a little idea on what's going to happen? If so, you'll have to see if the next chapter's going to go the way you imagine it to.**

**Anyway, as usual, I'd like to thanks everyone who favorited, followed, or reviewed this story. I wouldn't have gone for this long without you support!**

**See you next week!**


	20. Chapter 20-Rampage(Part I)

**Hello everyone! I apologize for the lateness, the chapter was ready this morning, but I got a few problems with my connection.**

**So, this one contains some gore, so you are warned. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!**

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20

Rampage( Part 1)

**Kane POV**

"Excuse me?" he asked. Surely he had misunderstood the question.

However, the man in front of him asked again:

"I repeat my question: did you know Mr. Keith Ashworth well?"

Trying to keep his cool, Kane answered:

"Not really, no. I just went to the party he held a few days ago. Otherwise, I didn't know him at all. Why? I heard he disappeared, do you have news about his whereabouts?"

Strauss gave him a stern look.

"I am the one asking the questions here. So, you didn't know him that well? Then I'd like to ask you, did you hear about anything unusual at the party?

-Not that I can remember. Then again, with all the sound, I might have missed quite a few things. If I may ask, are you from the police?

-Yes. So, you didn't notice anything unusual. I heard you had a pretty strange behavior yourself when you arrived at the party, am I correct?"

Kane was starting to feel like the man interrogating was just there to find something, _anything_, to frame him for Keith's disappearance. However, he couldn't really lie, or say he had forgotten something, and then rush out, that would have been the best way to get into trouble.

He answered, carefully choosing his words:

"I guess my behavior could have been seen as, well, 'unusual', but I was simply a little too tired to act politely like I use to. I take you can understand that, Mr. Strauss?"

The man had a quick laugh.

"Sure thing. Actually, I find it rather reassuring to know that. For what I've heard, you were 'Mr. Perfect' in this school, so it would have been kind of odd if you didn't have to blow off some steam from time to time."

Kane felt his nervousness recede a little. Maybe Strauss wasn't that bad after all?

"Actually, I was hoping to ask you about one specific point of the party.

-Please, by all means, go ahead.

-Thank you. According to Mr. Ashworth's sister, you were talking with her, before he rushed there and told you to leave her alone. Then she had a quick argument with him, before leaving for her bedroom. According to her, you were the last one to see him alive. I also have a few witnesses who can certify that they have seen the both of you walk out of the house, and none of you came back. Then, a little later, Mrs. Kristin, the girl you had gone to the party with, nearly knocked a few people out when she left the house, and she looked quite worried."

During his whole speech, Strauss hadn't taken his eyes off for even a second. Kane was starting to worry that he knew something about the circumstances of Keith's disappearance.

"Well, actually, we had an argument about how he was treating his sister, and after yelling at each other, I decided to go home. He had pissed me off, so I sent a message to Kristin to explain her the situation. I guess I had been a little too explicit about what happened, because she insisted to bring me back home and make sure I wasn't hurt anywhere, even if I told her we didn't have a fight."

Kane was proud of his answer. It explained nearly everything that happened, and the witnesses would just confirm his story.

However, Strauss looked dead serious.

"I believe it was also a coincidence that you were the last one to see you classmate Lily before she went crazy?"

Kane, who had been looking quite calm until then, suddenly felt his carapace begin to crack.

"Whatever do you mean?"

Strauss gave him a disapproving look.

"It's no use denying it. I've asked a few things around, and you were the last one to ever see her before she went silent! Furthermore, each time she is shown a photo of you, she starts laughing and screaming at the same time. To me, it's a little big to be a simple coincidence!

-Look, she just happened to tell me she had a crush on me, I said I wasn't interested, end of the story! That's all! So why should I be responsible of her state?"

The man landed a hit on the principal's desk, surprising both Kane and the school's representative, who until then, had listened to the exchange with rapt attention.

"Then, I believe you can also explain why you appear on a security camera's recording with Mr. Ashworth, going in the alley behind a supermarket, and not coming back at all? How can you explain this?

-Well, I...

-And you may also tell me why there has been large traces of blood everywhere in said alley, blood who has been confirmed to be Mr. Ashworth's? You know what I believe, Kane? I believe that for one reason or another, you had a fight with him, and for some reason you ended up killing him, willingly or not, I don't know. However, after you found yourself with a corpse on your hands, you decided to drop it into the sewers, and travel through the conducts to get back home to clean yourself."

The room stood in an eerie silence for a few minutes, as Kane desperately tried to come up with some kind of excuse, but nothing came to his mind.

"Are Mr. Strauss' assumptions correct, Kane?" the principal asked, with a hint of horror in his voice.

_The bastard must be scared for his school's reputation_, he thought.

Not answering, Kane took the time to review how he had gotten to the principal's office, mentally evaluating the time it would take him to get to the entrance at full speed. Hopefully, they would think that since he was blind, he wouldn't be able to escape them. He had to make full use of this advantage. The best way to do this would be to make the man think he got him, and then escape when he was distracted. Otherwise, he might be able to catch up with him.

"Yes." he muttered, not having to act to look remorseful.

"Oh my God!" was all the principal could say.

Strauss looked at him, and took out handcuffs, putting them on both of Kane's wrists before closing them. He then turned to the principal:

"Can you keep him in here for a little while? I need to get a few of my men to take him to the precinct. I'll make a call as quickly as I can."

Leaving the room, Kane could hear him talking into his phone.

"Yes, Strauss here. I caught Mr. Ashworth's murderer. Yes, nothing too big. Yes, that would be fine."

However, after finishing his call, instead of coming back, Kane heard him make another call.

"Yes, it's me. I found someone who may be able to tell you a few things about you-know-what. Yeah, he's wearing bands on his arms. Yeah, I think so, too. Yeah, you'll be able to get him at the precinct. Tell him you'll pay the caution, something like that, yeah. Yeah, see you."

As he came back into the room, Kane hadn't moved at all, still playing the "remorseful killer" role.

"Sir, I believe it would be best if you made a speech to tell your students about Mr. Ashworth's death.

-I agree. I'll make an announcement right away."

Strauss then took Kane to a nearby unused room.

"We are going to wait here for my colleagues to come. Understood?"

He simply nodded. He was too busy thinking about his plan to bother listening what he had been told.

Strauss sat down on a chair next to the door, after making sure the windows were closed and locked. _Guess he doesn't want me escaping,_ Kane thought. _Thought actually I'll just rush out when I have the chance._

Minutes passed in silence, neither of the men wanting to start a conversation. Finally, Kane decided it was as good as a moment as another, and stood up.

"I believe that if want to go to the toilet you'll follow me, right?"

With a grunt, Strauss stood up and opened the door.

"Fine. But if you even try to do something suspicious, you'll regret it."

They walked down the corridor to the boys' restroom, Kane trying to see if anyone was around. Luckily for him, every student in the school had been called to the gym for the principal's speech, so nobody apart from him and Strauss were there.

Suddenly turning back to the policeman, he smashed the man's head with his stick, so hard that he broke it in two, before turning to run. He didn't have the time to, though, as a familiar unpleasant sensation spread in his body, which went numb. Falling on his knees, he could see the stun gun Strauss had stuck to his leg to paralyze him.

"Shit." was all he could say, before he fell face on the floor, still conscious, but with his muscles not answering his brain's commands.

Strauss stood up, a little blood trailing down his temple.

"Not bad, boy. Not bad. Had I not been able to avoid most of the hit, you would've taken me out for some time. Bad luck you missed me. Now you'll be charged for assaulting a police officer during his duty. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes, boy."

As he was about to insult the man back, a loud scream suddenly exploded in his head, making him wince. When he recognized whose voice it was, and what it had just said, his face went pale.

"Actually, Strauss, I wouldn't want to be in YOUR shoes, trust me. I suggest we leave the school's grounds NOW, otherwise things will start to get ugly." he tried to say, though his speech was somehow rendered less than frightening by the fact he was barely able to move his mouth.

-Nice try, but I'm not going to believe your bullshit." said Strauss, roughly grabbing him under his arms, and dragging him to the entrance. "My colleagues should be here soon, and we won't leave the school grounds before their arrival, understood?"

Kane chuckled darkly.

"Oh yeah, I understand. YOU are the one who doesn't understand."

_I'm coming to get you, Kane!_ had Stryss' voice said.

_Man, things are going to get ugly, _he thought, while waiting for the police to arrive.

What could a few policemen do against a bloodthirsty alien who had sworn to protect him?

**Stryss POV**

She had just gotten out of her cocoon, and took unsteady steps, which quickly became steadier and steadier, as she adjusted to the changes her body had suffered. She now stood at around ten feet tall, and her body had just gotten much stronger, her head becoming similar to a Queen's crest, and her whole exoskeleton becoming thick enough to protect her from human bullets. She also felt much smarter, something that was understandable: the Princes and Princesses Guardians were the most intelligent members of her kind, after all, as they only fell behind the Queens in terms of intelligence. She was also able to spit huge amounts of acid, which, along with all her new abilities, made her the most fearsome and dangerous hunter in the universe.

With a screech, she tried leaping across the shelter. Within seconds, she had travelled three times around it.

_Now, I can protect K'tyss and Kane, _she thought. _No member of my family will ever be hurt when I'm around to prevent it!_

As if to mock her, a sudden pain shot through her mind, a pain she quickly recognized as being Kane's. Through what she had been able to see in his mind during the short lapse of time they had been connected through his pain, she knew he was in trouble. And what angered her the most was that he not only was in trouble _again_, but this time it was entirely her fault!

Screeching her rage, she darted through the hole leading to the sewers' conducts. It was a little too small, but it didn't even slow her down, as a simple head butt allowed her to break through the concrete.

Running through the sewers, she barely registered that she was about to ruin absolutely all their efforts to keep a low profile.

**Kane POV**

To say that he was terrified would have been an understatement. He had _felt_ Stryss' anger in his mind, for God's sake! She had never been so pissed off, and that was saying something. Strauss had no idea of what was going to happen if she managed to reach the school's grounds before they left, which was more than probable, given how fast she could run.

Unfortunately for him, he couldn't do anything about it, as his body was taking it's sweet time to recover from the stunning he had received a few minutes ago. He couldn't even stand properly yet. Of course, that in itself was impressive, since any ordinary human would probably have been paralyzed for more than an hour after what had happened.

He was distracted by two police's cars parking themselves in front of the school, were he had been sitting, with Strauss having the stun gun near his right side, ready for any other of his attempts to flee.

As the cars parked themselves, he managed to turn and give a stern look to Strauss.

"For the last time, let me go, or you're all fucked!

-Shut up! I don't want to listen to any of your bullshit! I'm not enough of a moron to let you go simply because you're claiming that otherwise we'll have trouble."

Kane snarled.

"Well, I hope you've written your testament, 'cause you'll be dead soon.

-Oh yeah? And you think you'll be free when it'll happen?" the police officer asked, mockingly.

"Oh, yes. I'm pretty sure about that. As I'm pretty sure that your friends and you will all be dead before the end of the hour. It won't be pretty, that's for sure. She's always quite messy when she kills someone."

Strauss gave him an interrogative look.

"Never mind. It's no use to explain to you, since you'll be dead soon. It would be a waste of time."

The two men then noticed that one of the policemen was waiting for orders, next to his car.

"Sir, the chief asked that you'd personally tell the students about Mr. Ashworth's murderer identity. He said we could handle him by ourselves.

-Roger then. I'll go right away. Be careful, he already tried to flee once, and I had to stun him.

-The little guy thinks he can just get away like that?

-Actually, he hit me with his stick, and I must say, he has a pretty good aim for someone who's supposed to be blind."

The policeman glared at Kane. Apparently he had managed to damage their pride somehow.

"Okay, we'll be careful. Now come on, you son of a bitch.

-That's for sure, she is a bitch indeed.

-Huh?

-My mother, I mean. She _is_ quite a bitch actually, never taking care of her children. Perhaps she is to blame for what's happening? I'm sure any psychiatrist would tell me it can "

The policeman looked at him strangely, while dragging him to one of the cars, his colleagues looking at the young man. Strauss had already left to the gym, which was something Kane was glad for. Maybe he could convince these policemen to take him to the precinct quickly, before Stryss could reach the school.

As the sky started to rumble, the clouds which had been covering the area for the past two days were illuminated by lighting.

"Ha! That's the perfect atmosphere for arresting a murderer.

-Yeah, yeah. When you'll have finished your blabbering, maybe we could get to the station?"

The policeman looked at him, surprised by his eagerness to be put into custody.

"Feeling remorseful? It's a bit late, don't ya think?"

Kane gave the man a dark look.

"Actually, I was hoping to prevent the students of being traumatized by the sight of your bloody remains. Of course, you'll die even if we reach the station, but at least it'll avoid them the sight of your insides scattered on the ground.

-Hey, listen now, you little..."

A loud screech stopped the man from finishing his sentence. Kane was starting to get paler by the second.

"Oh shit. Oh shit oh fuck."

**Stryss POV**

She had easily managed to reach the manhole closest to Kane's school, and without bothering to check if anyone was around, she broke through the concrete and asphalt separating her from the surface. Of course, had she still been a Warrior, she would have been able to fit through the manhole, but now her crest was way too big get through it, so she simply used it to break through what was between her objective and her. A few strong head butts, and a big hole was made into the material, allowing her to easily get out of the conduct she had been in.

She was just outside the school grounds, and she could sense that Kane was near. She screeched once again, screaming her rage and her blood thirst to the world, before heavily walking towards where she felt her sister's mate was. She had nothing to fear from some pathetic unprepared humans, their bullets would simply bounce on her armored skin, and none of them would have enough firepower to break through it.

With a snarl, she leapt on the nearby building, and quickly crawled to its top. From there, she had a view on the school's parking, and on her objective. Two cars were parked there, with a few men around them, all of them quite scared, as their scents told her. Foolish humans, always presuming they were at the top of the food chain. They were about to have a surprise.

With another screech as a warcry, she leapt towards the closest man. Turning around, he could simply stare blankly at his legs which were now a few feet away from his body, ripped by the deadly claws of the alien. She then turned around, using the momentum to knock two other men into the nearest building's walls with her tail. As one of the few remaining men pointed his gun at her, she simply spat a little acid on his face, watching him scream while his face and head were quickly consumed by the acid, before his body fell limp on the ground.

The few men left started to fire at her, but as she had predicted, her skeleton was too tough for their bullets to pierce. Noticing it, one of them screamed something, and another one of the men started running.

_Run, little prey, I'll save you for last, _she thought.

With a wicked smirk, she used her tail to stab a man on her left, while she used her right arm to hit another one, his ribs breaking in an audible "crack". The last man standing turned to flee, but she caught him, and brought him near her face. As he desperately struggled to break free, she shot her second mouth, crushing his skull in an explosion of bone fragments an brain matter.

Not quite satisfied yet, she turned towards the building the man had run off to. Ironically, it was the gym where she had been with Kane when he had guided them around his school.

_This will be fun, _she thought.

She could sense that Kane was fine, but she still wanted to rip apart the last man of those who had dared to heart him. Anyway, K'tyss was on her way too, she had remotely noticed it, so she decided to track down the last of the scum that had been about to arrest her family.

**Kane POV**

He had watched as she approached the policemen. He had watched when she had killed them without a shred of mercy. The worse were the screams of fear, suddenly stopping by disgusting crunching sounds, or sights of a man with his face dissolving, the skin and muscles eaten away by acid. He would have thrown up if he could, however, the only things his still recovering body allowed him to do was watch and whimper.

After a little while, the screams stopped. That could mean two things: either Stryss had killed all the men around, or they had all fled. Considering the way he was able to feel her anger from where he was, the former was very unlikely.

As he waited, he could hear the thunder rumbling, but nothing came from Stryss. No inquiries about the state he was in, no reassuring words, nothing.

_Stryss? Are you here?_

A loud screech suddenly echoed on the school grounds. Whatever that meant, she hadn't answered him. As he waited for an answer, he heard the sound of her heavy footsteps, however they weren't coming in his direction, they were fading away, which made no sense.

_Why is she leaving? I thought she wanted to come here to save me?_

Then, he remembered what he had heard one the policemen shouting, it had been an order to one of them to warn Strauss and make the students evacuate. And given how Stryss was going on a rampage, it was likely she was following the man who had left.

_Which means...Oh shit! I've got to do something!_

With a groan of pain, he forced his body to move. At first, he only managed to make little, useless moves, but after a few tries, he managed to slip through the window the policeman had left open to speak with him. Staggering, he directed himself towards the gym, moving the fastest he could, only to hear the sound of a gun near his ear.

"You aren't going anywhere, you fucking murderer!"

Apparently, one of the policemen was still well enough to move, though from what Kane could see, he had his left arm broken.

"Are you crazy?! I'm not staying here with that monster walking around!" he shouted, trying his best to look scared shitless. It wasn't really hard.

Unlocking the safety, the man pushed the gun against his back.

"I said you aren't going anywhere. Did you know that Keith was actually my nephew? He didn't deserve to be killed by a bastard like you!"

Kane wanted to laugh. He could see where this was going.

"Yeah right. I'm a bastard who killed your nephew. So what? You're going to beat me up real good while that thing is around, possibly ready to kill innocent students?"

The man gave him a angered look.

"Don't worry, I'll call for reinforcements right way. Of course, when things will have settled down, I will explain that you had been caught by 'friendly fire'. Given the circumstances, I may receive a warning, but not much more.

-So, you're going to kill a defenseless man? So much for the justice you serve. I'm sorry to disappoint YOU!"

With a shout, Kane turned around, landing a direct hit in the man's crotch, earning him a very satisfying cry. As he quickly rushed behind the man, he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder, but that didn't stop him, and soon, he was strangling him with everything he had. Surprisingly, he didn't have to squeeze much, since his victim's neck broke with a 'snap' before he even started to suffocate.

Letting go of the corpse, he touched the place where he had been wounded. There was a lot of blood, but nothing life-threatening, and the bullet had apparently gone through his body, meaning he didn't have to worry about extracting it. A remote part of his brain wondered why he didn't feel a thing after murdering someone, but he quickly shrugged it off. He was starting to get quite pissed about how every single human tended to try to kill him, for things he wasn't really responsible for.

With a last glance to the carnage around him, he started to walk towards the gym. If he didn't make it in time, God protect the students inside.

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**I want to thank those who took the time to review this story, seriously thanks everyone, and all those who read it. Thanks to those who took the time to answer the poll about their favorite character, it's enjoyable to know who you like the most in the story.**

**I also want to thank God of Light and Shadow, for his suggestion, which I'll be using a little later in the story.**

**Next chapter should be out a little before the end of the week, since I'm on vacation, so see you for the next chapter!**


	21. Chapter 21-Rampage(Part 2)

**Hello everyone! As I promised, here comes this week's chapter, a little earlier than usual! **

**So, this one is probably the chapter I had the most fun writing so sar, so I hope you'll enjoy it!**

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**##I don't own Alien, Predator or AVP##**

20

Rampage (Part 2)

**K'tyss POV**

For the last two days, she had been in Heaven. After their night together, Kane had been even kinder than usual, spending every moment he could with her. Of course, she had worried that he was simply avoiding her sister, but when she had asked, she had been surprised to learn that the two of them had discussed what had happened the very night they had made love together. Apparently, he had apologized for his little outburst, Stryss had accepted his apology, and things were now back to normal between the three of them, with the slight difference that Kane and herself were now a couple.

After their first night together, they hadn't done it again, however, K'tyss was absolutely willing to do it anytime Kane would be okay with it. After all, it felt good, it helped them to express their love to each other, and after, they could have cuddling sessions. She was starting to understand why humans considered sex something enjoyable, and she had to admit, she too found it extremely enjoyable.

For the moment, she was lying down in Kane's bed, half-asleep, and surrounded by her mate's scent. Of course, that reminded her of their little "session", two days ago. She wondered if she could ask Kane if they could do it again that night. He would probably not want to, since his sister was around, but she had a few ideas on how she could "convince" him.

Suddenly, she felt a familiar and very unpleasant sensation, which luckily left her quickly, but that had been enough to recognize the feeling of being stunned.

_Kane!_

Leaping from the bed, she opened the window, and quickly went to help her mate.

**Kathryn POV**

Something was wrong. She _knew_ something was amiss. For the past week, Kane's behavior had been nothing but odd to say the least. He kept wearing bands on his arms, and she hadn't seen his eyes since that day, when he had gotten home late. He seemed unusually nervous, and each time she tried to get close to him how she used to, he always pushed her back, as if he was afraid of something. There was also this "Kristin", whom he claimed to be his girlfriend, but whom she had never seen before. Kristin also seemed to have a hard time with English, and was apparently surprised by the strangest things.

And now, a teacher had asked Kane to come with him to the principal's office, which was strange. Why would someone like him, who never missed a single day of school unless he was sick, brought there? And why did he seem so nervous about it? Had he done something bad without telling her?

_Impossible,_ she thought. _He has always told me everything I had to know about him, there's no way I wouldn't know about something grave enough to get him in the principal's office._

As she unpacked her things, not really paying attention to whatever her classmates had to say, their teacher entered the classroom, carrying his things, and went for his desk. However, as he was about to start his lesson, the school's loudspeaker went on, delivering a message with the principal's voice:

"Attention, please. Today's classes are dismissed. The teachers are asked to bring their students to the gym, for a extraordinary announcement."

As the students had a hard time concealing their joy about the idea of being able to skip some teaching time, Kathryn was having a hard time hiding her nervousness. Kane was supposed to meet the principal in his office, right? Did this announcement have anything to do with him?

She barely noticed what the other students were saying, as she followed them, her body on autopilot, and her brain focusing on what was going wrong with Kane.

The gym was now full of students, chatting, laughing, and wondering what was so important that the principal would cancel classes to make an announcement about it. They were sitting on the gym's bleachers, while the teachers were trying to maintain at least some order, but were obviously failing quite miserably.

"So, what do you think this is about, Kathryn?" one of her friends asked her. Lucia and Kathryn had been friends for years, since the start of middle school. While Kathryn was known as the "Ice Queen", since she had always rejected anyone who asked her out, meaning quite a few boys, and even some girls, Lucia was known to be quite open about relationships, but not to the point of being what people would call a whore. Actually, she was quite willing to share herself with anyone, saying that having to be with a single man was only some kind of old religious rule still followed that went against common sense. However, that didn't mean she was an easy girl, far from it. She always turned down whoever wanted to go out with her only to have sex, and only accepted someone's feelings after being** sure ** that they were sincere.

"I don't know. I guess it has something to do with Keith's disappearance, it's the only noticeable thing that happened lately, apart from Lily going nuts." she answered, trying not to sound too nervous about Kane's absence.

"Yeah, guess you're right. By the way, where's your brother? I didn't see him today, and since you two are usually stuck together...

-He was called to the principal's office when we arrived. I haven't seen him since then.

-Oh, okay. Guess the old geezer must have told him to stay in his office while he was making the announcement. Speaking of the devil..."

Indeed, the principal had entered the gym, his bald head easily recognizable, and was messing with his beard, a nervous habit of his. He walked towards a hastily erected stand, testing the mike, before speaking:

"Silence. Silence! Thank you. As I have previously announced, I have some important news. These news, as a few of you might have guessed, are related to Mr. Keith Ashworth's sudden disappearance. A police inspector has told me that the probability of him running off are unlikely, and that they had found a few clues suggesting otherwise. As it turns out, it appears that he has been killed."

A few cries of surprise could be heard, the students now listening with rapt attention. No one was whispering anymore, and the sudden change of atmosphere didn't escape the principal's attention.

For her part, Kathryn was astonished about the news. The town was a peaceful one, with a only a few delinquents, and no murder had been recorded for over twenty years. This was certainly unexpected.

Before the principal could continue his speech, another man, younger this one, entered the gym, and quickly walked up the stairs to the stand, whispering into the old man's ear. He was wearing a coat, looked in his thirties, and had short, brown hair. With a few nods, the principal then announced:

"I will now leave my place to Mr. Strauss, the inspector in charge of this investigation.

-Thank you, sir. As you have been told, Mr. Ashworth's disappearance has been investigated, and we have found a few clues indicating that the possibility of him being murdered are high. Fortunately, one of these clues also allowed us to track down his murderer, whom I confronted myself. It turns out that said murderer was also responsible for your librarian's mental state, and confessed his crimes."

A senior suddenly asked:

"Sir, who is the murderer? Have you arrested him?"

With a smile, the inspector answered:

"Yes, we arrested him. Usually, I wouldn't be able to tell you his name unless I was certain about his guilt, but given how he has confessed his crimes, I can safely assume he committed them. The culprit is one of your fellow students, Kane Stern."

Suddenly, everyone was staring at Kathryn with wide eyes. She didn't even notice she had her mouth half-open in shock.

**K'tyss POV**

Running through the sewers, she quickly reached the school grounds, stopping in shock before the huge hole only her sister could have made through the concrete and asphalt. She had known about her imminent evolution into a Princess Guardian, but it was one thing having inherited memories and instinctual knowledge about their abilities, it was another one witnessing it with your own eyes. She couldn't even imagine how powerful her sister was now to be able to pierce through so much material, and without using acid, as she didn't smell any around her.

However, she only stared at the hole for a little more than a second, before rushing through it, worried about Kane. He had an almost pathological disposition to get into trouble, and even if Stryss had probably already reached him, she didn't want to push her luck. Running on all fours with a speed that would have put a cheetah to shame, she quickly reached the school's parking area. There, she could only stare in shock to the incredible carnage before her. Corpse were everywhere, some missing limbs and lying on the ground, others half-dissolved, and others with their heads crushed.

_How awful...Stryss must be really furious to go this far..._

Taking a quick look around, she didn't see Kane, yet she could smell his scent. He had been there not too long ago, but now he had left. Surprisingly, one of the corpses had his smell slightly mixed with it's own, which could only mean that he had killed the man himself. The scent would have been different if he had touched the corpse after the death of the man. Now, _that_ was something strange, to see the always kind Kane going so far as to murder someone.

_He must have had his reasons. Knowing him, he mustn't have had a choice._

Not really bothered by the metallic smell of the air, caused by the blood scattered everywhere, she tracked down her mate's smell. Unsurprisingly, he had followed Stryss, but a little after she had left, her scent being slightly less present than his.

As she took a last glance towards the carnage, she followed her mate's tracks.

_Looks like we won't be able to stay here any longer..._

**Kathryn POV**

As every student was staring at her, she didn't even notice their surprised, shocked stares, as she was trying to process what the policeman had just said. Her _brother_, the kindest man she had ever known, a blind, inoffensive teenager, had killed someone, and was responsible for one of his friends' madness? Impossible! It had to be impossible! Yet the inspector had told them that he had confessed his crimes, so she doubted he was lying. But _Kane,_ a murderer? It was hard to believe. And it certainly explained why he had been behaving strangely lately. But the dates didn't match!

She was trying to find anything, ANYTHING, that would have been a proof of her brother's innocence, but she couldn't find anything. And WHY would he have changed so much so quickly? Could he have known about THAT? It was unlikely, but not impossible at all. But even if he had discovered it, it wouldn't be enough to make him change his behavior so much...right?

The police inspector was about to say something, when the door of the gym burst open, allowing a policeman to enter. She didn't notice anything else, as she was holding her head in her hands, trying to fight the urge to cry, as well as the shock of hearing a law's enforcer casually saying that her brother was a murderer.

"And I tell you, calm down!

-Y-yes s-sir! I s-suggest that we-we evacu-cuate n-now, b-before it c-comes for u-us!"

She was brought back to reality by the argument currently going on between the inspector and the policeman. It was then that she noticed that the man had a terrified look plastered on his face, and was regularly looking behind him, as if he was afraid of something.

"Evacuate? Are you crazy? First, calm down, and tell me what happened. I can't understand a word of what you're telling me.

-I-I'm afraid we don't h-have time for that, inspector. I've tried calling the others, but none of them has answered. They're all DEAD, for God's sake! We MUST evacuate!

-And WHY must we evacuate?! Shit, Jonhson, can you at least explain me WHY we should evacuate?!"

The policeman was nervously looking back and forth, apparently terrified of something, but still sane enough to understand that he couldn't simply ask for an evacuation out of the blue.

"A-as y-you asked, w-we were about to t-take Mr. Stern into c-custody, but then, a...a THING appeared out of nowhere, and started killing everyone! We tried to kill it, b-but our bullets didn't even scratch it! S-so, Maxwell a-asked me t-to make the students evacuate. I w-wanted t-to c-call you, b-but my talkie-walkie w-was still in the car, as well as Mr. Stern, behind the T-THING, s-so I thought it was better to come here and w-warn you m-myself. Sir, we MUST evacuate! There's no telling that this monster won't come after us when it's finished with the others."

Kathryn couldn't believe her ears. The policeman had just admitted her brother was still in the car when he had left him, meaning that whatever had afraid him was going to kill Kane, if it hadn't already done so.

"Fine. But I'm not ordering an evacuation before checking if you've told me the truth."

The inspector then reached for his talkie-walkie.

"Strauss here. I want a report on your situation. Over."

The talkie-walkie stayed silent, nobody answering the man's call.

"Strauss here. Give me a fuckin' report, NOW!"

Still no answer. The inspector then gave a hard look to the policeman.

"Fine. Make them evacuat-..."

Suddenly, a huge crashing sound was heard, making everyone jump. The door where the policeman had come from was twisted, even though it was a fireproof door, extremely solid to prevent anyone who didn't have the key to sneak in.

Seeing that, the policeman started screaming.

"Oh shit! It's here! We're doomed! DOOMED! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE! WE..."

He was silenced by a direct hit to his face by the inspector.

"What are you doing, idiot?! We are the police! It's our duty to protect our citizens! So get your gun out and be ready to fire on whatever's going to enter!"

Another crashing sound surprised everyone, this time coming from the other door of the gym. It, too, was twisted, something having clearly hit it.

"Are you sure that the thing you've seen was alone, Jonhson?

-Y-yes sir! It was alone!"

The inspector started mumbling, probably making an escape plan. However, the only doors were now unusable, meaning that they were trapped inside the gym.

Kathryn stared blankly around her, her brain still overheating from the massive amount of data it was trying to process: Kane was a murderer, he was probably dead, and something hostile was outside, something that a team of armed policemen hadn't been able to kill.

She wanted nothing more than to be able to scream to her heart's content, to be free from the madness that had suddenly engulfed her whole life, but she couldn't.

The inspector and the policeman now had their guns in their hands, the policeman shaking quite visibly, while the inspector had a calm look on his face. The two of them were pointing their guns towards the second door of the gym, where the last sound indicating the things presence had been heard. However, after the initial hit in the door, nothing else had been heard.

Everyone in the gym was now staring at the door, expecting to see some kind of abomination smash it open. Of course, that would have meant that whatever had scared the shit out of the policeman was stupid, since it would mean appearing exactly where it was expected to, not really the best tactic to surprise your enemy. And of course, the attack didn't come from there.

First, all the lights went extinct, leaving the gym with a crepuscular lighting, and making a few of the most impressionable student scream in surprise. However, a few seconds later, after everyone had gone silent again, a clicking sound could be heard, making the humans nervously look around.

Then Hell got loose.

**Kane POV**

Running as fast as he could, Kane groaned as his shoulder hurt, the blood still trailing down his side, slowly burning his clothes. Luckily, it had only burnt a little part of his shirt, and hadn't touched his bands yet. The unusual sensation the sunglasses on his nose was annoying, but he couldn't take them off. Another annoying thing was the fact that he still had the handcuffs Strauss had put on him, even though he had easily broken the iron chain with a little pull, his skeleton being harder to cut than human skin and allowing him to use his superhuman strength.

He finally reached the gym, only to stare, surprised, at the fact that a trunk was holding it close, it's base firmly stuck in the asphalt.

As he was staring, the lights went off, and after a few seconds, the sound of glass shattering followed by gunshots and screams could be heard.

Cursing, he resumed his run, hoping that he would be able to avoid another carnage. Not that he really cared about the policeman or Strauss, but the students, for idiotic they were, were innocent, and didn't deserve to die. Furthermore, Kathryn was inside, and even if he wanted to trust Stryss, he simply couldn't be sure that she wouldn't kill her, given her enraged she was at the moment. The fight against the policemen had only fueled her anger, meaning that right now she was on a rampage, and nobody apart from him or K'tyss would be able to stop her.

**Kathryn POV**

Suddenly, a shadow fell from the ceiling, just behind the policeman, and sent him into the wall with a sickening crunch. Seeing this, the first students started to scream in fear, the ones on the rows closest to the scene quickly getting in the back rows, as they weren't going to go anywhere near whatever had killed the policeman.

Meanwhile, the inspector was firing to the shadow, who didn't even try to avoid the bullets, which didn't seem to hurt it at all, while slowly stepping backwards. The thing simply waited for him to finish firing, then knocked him off his feet, sending him flying backwards to land on his back. A loud screech then broke the nearly religious silence, as the thing slowly advanced towards the fallen silhouette of the police's inspector, its footsteps making loud sounds, indicating that whatever the thing was, it wasn't light.

When it reached the inspector, it screeched again, probably about to kill him, when the lights came back, finally allowing everyone to take a look to what had attacked them.

It was a being covered in a dark, glistening skin. It stood around ten feet tall, with a long, skeletal tail, finished by what looked like a very sharp blade. On its back, six spikes, three on each side of it's spine, were standing high. It had long, thin arms, with huge talons protruding from it's elbows, and the thing's fingers looked like they were finished by sharp claws. It didn't have any visible eyes, but it's head was covered by an imposing crest, giving it a disturbing regal air.

Seeing this, some students whimpered, understanding that whatever it was, if it wanted to kill them all, none of them would be able to escape. And even more dreadful than it's physical appearance was the fact that it was obviously at least a little more intelligent than the average predator, since it had cleverly destroyed every exit before attacking.

Screeching, the thing was about to stab the inspector with it's tail, when it suddenly stopped moving, then turned backwards, as if answering a call.

At the same moment, the door broke open. Actually, _flew_ open would have been more accurate, considering it was blown on over ten meters before landing with the loud sound of mistreated iron. Behind the door stood Kane, his shirt half-open, tainted with blood, but apart from that looking fine.

Everyone in the room stared at him, wondering how he could have opened the door with only one hit, and with such force.

Kathryn, for her part, felt immensely relieved to see her beloved brother standing there, alive, even if he was obviously wounded, and she had to repress a relieved cry. However, before she could even sigh in relief, she saw the monster which had been about to kill the inspector, walk towards him, with loud steps.

"Kane, run! Quick!" was all she could scream, as the monster was already before him.

Curiously, he didn't look afraid, even if he was apparently a little surprised by the being before him. Said being slowly lowered it's head, it's mouth half-open, letting everyone see it's sharp glass-like teeth.

"Kane!" she screamed, certain that he was about to be killed.

Her brother then turned his head in her direction, smiling sadly. Somehow, in this instant, she felt as if he was able to see her, even though he was blind, his gaze centered exactly on her, not in the approximate direction she was in, but on her indeed.

"Don't worry." was all he said, before turning his head back towards the monster, who slowly screeched, and approached it's head.

At that instant, Kathryn's heart was beating loudly, her vision centered on Kane and the monster before him, her brain not noticing anything else.

"I wouldn't do that, Strauss. You'll only anger her even more, and from what I can see, she hasn't caused any permanent trauma in anyone here, apart from the unlucky fellow in the corner of the room."

Everyone blinked, surprised to hear the usually kind, good-natured Kane use such a harsh tone. Apparently, the inspector had discreetly recharged his gun, and was aiming at the monster's back.

Kane wasn't even bothering to look at the monster, who still hadn't touched him yet, but was glaring at the inspector.

"Before you ask, yes, I mean I can _see_ what's around me, I can see you aiming towards her back, and I can see all the fucking students that are here. And I can also tell you this: if you ever try to shoot at Stryss, I can assure you that either her or myself will kill you.

-You _know_ this monster?!" the inspector asked in disbelief.

Not answering immediately, Kane did something unexpected: he patted the monster's head with a warm, kind smile. He then looked back at Strauss:

"If I know her? Of course I do. She's a very important member of my new family."

**Kane POV**

As he patted Stryss' head, earning himself a purr that nobody else could hear, he glared at Strauss. The idiot hadn't even believed the policeman that had come to warn him, although his fear should have been enough to make him take a drastic action to avoid getting anyone killed.

_That idiot! I shouldn't have asked you to spare him._

_We can always...rectify this regrettable mistake,_ the alien offered, her voice dripping of anger towards the man.

Nonetheless, he shook his head, earning himself a few skeptical looks from the students in the bleachers.

_No, even though I don't think he deserves such pity, I don't want to scare my sister or any of the students. _

The alien snarled, making a few students yelp in fear.

_Anyway, I must say, your new appearance is quite impressive, I love it! I guess it was supposed to be a surprise, since you didn't say anything about it, but still...So you're a Princess Guardian, now? Way to go!_

Stryss purred and rubbed her head against his side, making him wince. The bullet wound he had received was still bleeding slightly, and even though it would probably heal way quicker than any human wound, it was still bothering him for now.

His "sister-in-law" noticed his discomfort, and screeched when she saw his wound.

_Kane! Who dared to hurt you?! I'll kill whoever it was!_

He gave her a wry smile.

_It'll be hard, the bastard's neck's broken. Wanted to kill me because he was from Keith's family, but didn't expect me to counterattack. That idiot!_

"A member of your family?! What the hell do you mean, you sick bastard?!"

Kane looked at Strauss, surprised. He hadn't expected him to get back to his senses so quickly. He was currently standing with his gun aimed no longer at Stryss, but at him. That should have worried him, since he wasn't bulletproof, but he hadn't wanted to take any risks, so he had already made sure he had something up his sleeve should this case arise.

"I mean that she, along with her sister, are now members of my family. Or should I say, I am a member of _theirs_.

-The Hell are you talking about?! Answer me!

-Nope. I don't owe you anything, apart from an unpleasant electric shock earlier, when I tried to flee and avoid this whole damn situation."

Speaking of which, he was starting to feel a familiar, dreadful sensation spreading through his body. He was starting to feel sick, and given his past experiences, he knew what it meant. However, knowing he couldn't allow himself to show any weaknesses yet, he mentally fought the sensation, controlling it, avoiding any new mutation by using his sheer will.

Seeing the anger in Strauss' aura, he was about to get ready, when he sensed something, and relaxed.

"Strauss, you should drop your gun, otherwise you're going to die, or at least get a few bruises.

-Yeah right! You think I'll listen to a bloody murderer?!"

A loud screech from Stryss surprised everyone. The fact that she protectively hold him back too.

_I was the one to kill that pathetic excuse for a human, so don't you dare treat him of murderer, you asshole! _she shouted, although only Kane heard her.

_Stryss, while I really appreciate your concern, what he said is true. I killed someone on my way here, remember?_

_Sorry._

_Don't worry about that._

He then turned his attention back to Strauss.

"She said that she was the one to kill Keith, which, by the way, is the truth. I accused myself because I didn't want anyone to know about her sister or herself. Of course, I didn't think you'd prevent me from running away, you persistent little bastard.

-Enough!"

Strauss was about to shoot, his finger ready to pull the trigger.

With a smile, Kane pointed on his left, towards the windows, and before anyone could react, a blurred silhouette sent the inspector flying, making him land on the wall, and effectively knocking him out. Said silhouette grabbed the gun he had let fall, and spit acid on it, dissolving it in a few seconds.

K'tyss then looked up to Kane, and ran towards him. On all fours.

_Kane! I'm so glad you're fine!_

He chuckled at how relieved she looked.

_Well, 'fine' is certainly a little too much, but I'm still feeling well enough..._

He didn't have the time to finish his sentence, as a missile caught him in the gut, making him land on his back.

-Oooff! Mfgfgmgm?!

As he fell on his back, the air exiting his lungs, she crushed her lips on his, kissing him with all her might, before approximately three hundred and twenty students, sixteen teachers, and a dumbfounded principal. Stryss for her part, grinned. However, she quickly stopped, noticing that Kane had gone limp, and that he looked to be in pain.

And in pain indeed he was. Not prepared to be kissed so fiercely, the surprise had broken his concentration, and now, the mutation he had fought was coming back. The pain quickly reached unbearable levels, and he would have screamed if K'tyss hadn't been still kissing him. His body had gone limp, since every movement seemed to fuel the suffering.

His consciousness was starting to fade, and he barely felt Stryss yank her sister from him.

_Kane? Kane! What's going on?!_

_Same thing than usual..._he managed to grunt. _Although this time it's even worse..._

-Graaaahhh! he suddenly screamed, bending forward, his hands on the ground, as the pain seemed to go from unbearable to hellish.

It was as if his whole body was slowly ripped apart, while at the same being burnt all over, but still being able to register the pain. Tears went down his cheeks, as he silently wished that someone could just kill him to put an end to his misery.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of suffering, he felt the skin on his back burst open, spikes coming out on each side of his spine, splattering blood everywhere. Then, he felt _something_ burst out of his head, and his legs changing shape, their structure modifying to become like the sisters' legs. As he was about to think it had finally ended, he felt his spine changing, getting longer, before a long, dark tail burst through his lower back.

As his mutation finished, all he could do was gasp for air, and wait for his body to recover from such a harsh experience. He was already starting to get accustomed to his new body, as it was now closer to what his instinctual knowledge inherited from his mate's side told him it was supposed to be. The spines on his back would sometimes raise, according to his state of mind, while his tail was simply moving slightly, as he wished it to.

Finally, when he became fairly sure his body had gotten enough strength back, he tried getting up. At first, it was difficult, and he stumbled, only to find K'tyss holding him up.

_Thanks,_ _I guess it's a bit new for me_, he apologized.

She simply smiled. God was she beautiful when she smiled!

As she guided him, he finally managed to stand, though he felt strange, as his new legs made him even taller, meaning K'tyss seemed even smaller. Ripping his shirt off, as it was already useless, half-dissolved by his now aciditic blood, and torn by the spines that had grown on his back. As he gazed on his upper body, he could see that it was now mostly covered by a thick layer of dark exoskeleton, though his chest still had human skin on it. He also touched his head, and as he had guessed, he sensed the hard material of the same "crown" K'tyss had on her head. Finally, he took off his glasses, since he was obviously no longer in need to hide his now different than human nature.

Opening his eyes, he looked around. The students were now staring at him in awe and fear, the teachers were looking dumbstruck and afraid, and the principal...the principal had fainted.

However, Kane didn't care about the principal, the teachers, or even the students. As he looked for the only person whose opinion mattered to him, he finally found her. She was looking at him, with the same fearful look than the other students, and that hurt him more than anything else. However, he could also see that there was still the same love than before in her eyes, and that was what mattered. He didn't care that she feared him, what he didn't want was to see her _hate_ him. With everything that had happened, she had been the only one who hadn't changed, always concerned for him, always trying to show him that she loved him.

He walked towards her, slowly at first, then faster, as he got accustomed to his new legs. He easily got past the first rows of students, who fearfully avoided him, scared that he might kill them. None of them even spoke, even if some of them gave a few small cries or whimpers of fear. As he reached her, he looked at her, and slowly extended his arm, now completely exposed, the exoskeleton shimmering, and his claws easily visible.

-Kathryn, can you come with me? We need to talk, before I leave. Don't worry, we won't do anything to you. I just want to explain a few things to you before disappearing.

With a look in his pitch black eyes, she slowly reached to take his hand, but before she could take his, another one appeared from behind her, and slapped him. All students whimpered, persuaded that they were dead. From behind Kathryn stood up a girl from her class, one of her few good friends, Lucia, if Kane remembered well.

-You idiot! Do you really think she'll feel any better if you're gone?!

Two loud hisses made quite clear that the two sisters, who were still waiting, didn't like the way she was talking to him.

_Easy, you two. She has a point. K'tyss, would you mind taking her with us, at least for when I'll discuss with my sister? I think that having a friend with her would help a lot._

_..Fine, _ she pouted. _But if she slaps you again, I'll show her what happens to those who mistreat my mate!_

With a chuckle, Kane turned back to look at Lucia.

-Lucia? My girlfriend is going to bring you with us, too. Don't worry, she won't do anything bad to you, and you deserve to listen to what I'll say. Not anybody would have slapped me when I could easily kill you, and you're a good friend of Kathryn's. I must warn you, though. If you slap me again, K'tyss said that she would give you Hell. So be careful.

-Yes. You hurt him again and I will hurt you.

K'tyss had already gotten to their level, and the fact she had spoken right into Lucia's ear earned her a scream of surprise. With a grin, the hybrid girl lifted her on her shoulder, before going back to her sister.

Kane lifted her sister bridal style, and then the five of them left the gym behind them, Stryss running first, K'tyss and Kane each carrying their living package behind her.

* * *

**So, I hope this was as enjoyable for you to read that it has been to me to write.  
**

**I'd like to thanks everyone who read it, those who reviewed, and those who didn't.**

**Next chapter should be out next weekend, so see you later!**


	22. No chapter this week

**Hello everyone! Ok, please wait before killing me, and hear me out: I've been suffering from the writer's block these last days, and I'm stuck with my half-finished chapter. As I said before, I'm not someone who likes to write some half-assed chapter, so, unfortunately, this week will not see any chapter out.**

**What's more, one of my teachers made a mistake, and the exams I thought were next week are this week, so I don't think I'll have any time to write soon, sorry.**

**Don't hold it against me, 'cause I can tell you, I'd rather be writing your next chapter than doing exams !**


	23. Chapter 23-Leaving

**Hello everyone!(/*hiding behind the door and waving a white flag*/) Please wait before bringing the torchs!**

**Yes, I know. I'm late posting this chapter, and frankly speaking, I believe it's not my best one so far. However, it marks the start of the last part of this story, and I hope that this last part will be good enough for you.**

**Now, I want to thank all of you for following this story so far. Without your support, I would've stopped long ago. Enjoy!**

* * *

**##I do not own Alien, Predator or AVP##**

22

Leaving

**Kathryn POV**

Kathryn watched incredulously as her brother was kissed by "Kristin", who didn't look human at all anymore. Obviously she was _partly_ human, but it was also obvious that she was from the same species that the giant monster behind her brother. However, when said monster gave a loud hiss, she knew something was wrong. "Kristin" was pulled away from her brother, a look of concern on her face. The hybrid and the monster were looking after Kane, who suddenly started to scream, and clutched his head in his hands. She saw that he was crying, and she could only wince at how much whatever was happening must had been hurting him. She had only seen him cry a couple of times, and theses times were when he felt intense emotional pain.

Gasps and screams brought her back to reality. When she turned her gaze to her brother, she froze in shock. Six spines had erupted from his back, each one of them as long as his forearm. There were bloodstains everywhere around him, and some blood was still dripping from the spines. Another scream from Kane and something black erupted from his head. It looked like some kind of strange head protection, and was covering a good part of his hair. Meanwhile, she could see his legs shaking, with a few cracking noises, they changed shape, morphing to look like the hybrid and the monster's ones. After a final scream, a long, dark and skeletal tail burst through his lower back, with at it's end a deadly looking blade.

For a little while, the room went silent, with only Kane's loud breaths audible. Finally, after a few minutes, he tried to get up, only to trip and fall, luckily for him the hybrid girl caught him before he could smack his face on the ground. With what looked like a grateful glance, he steadied himself, his tail slowly moving from left to right. He was now standing taller than anyone else, save for the monster, even if he wasn't far from being as tall as it. With what looked like disdain, he ripped his shirt off, revealing that most of his upper body was covered by the same kind of skin than the monster and the hybrid. He then felt his head, following the structure covering it with a look of mild amusement. Finally, he took off his glasses, opened his eyes, looking around. Several yelps an gasps could be heard, as his eyes were now pitch black, with not even a hint of color in them.

When his gaze reached her, she _knew_ he could see her. He had said so before to the inspector, and now she believed it without a doubt. Of course, she was afraid now. Afraid that he had changed, afraid that he was no longer the loving elder brother she knew. But if he was the same than before, then it didn't matter what he had become, she would love him all the same. He was the kindest and sweetest boy she had ever known, and the only one she had ever loved, even when countless boys had asked her out already. In her mind, only someone with at least half his kindness would be a suitable boyfriend, and she had yet to find him.

As he stared at her, he took a step, then another in her direction. At first, his walk was unbalanced, but after a few steps, it got steadier, and he accelerated his pace. He went through the first rows, with all the students backing off and getting out of his way. He quickly reached her, and stood there, towering above her in all his glory, his black eyes locked on her.

-Kathryn, can you come with me? We need to talk, before I leave. Don't worry, we won't do anything to you. I just want to explain a few things to you before disappearing.

His voice was hoarse, and deeper than before. That didn't disturb her one bit, and she extended her hand to take his, when she felt Lucia standing up. A loud slapping sound echoed through the gym, and a few whimpers of fear escaped some students' lips. Lucia's hand was red from the impact, and Kane's cheek was also red, though not nearly as dark as the color of her friend's hand.

-You idiot! Do you really think she'll feel any better if you're gone?!

The first that came to her mind was that Lucia was overstepping her bounds, though she knew that when it came to her, her friend always did what she thought was the best. Two loud hisses made the fact that Kane's friends were displeased with her own friend's actions. However, Kane shot them a quick glance and they calmed down. He then chuckled and turned back to Lucia and her.

-Lucia? My girlfriend is going to bring you with us, too. Don't worry, she won't do anything bad to you, and you deserve to listen to what I'll say. Not anybody would have slapped me when I could easily kill you, and you're a good friend of Kathryn's. I must warn you, though. If you slap me again, K'tyss said that she would give you Hell. So be careful.

-Yes. You hurt him again and I will hurt you.

Lucia let out a scream, as the hybrid girl had already gotten to her level, and spoken right into her ear. Without so much of an effort, she lifted Lucia on her back, while Kane himself lifted her bridal style, causing her to blush uncontrollably. With the monster opening the walk, they left the gym, quickly running behind it.

As they followed the monster, they went through the school's parking grounds, and Kane's hand went over her eyes.

-Don't look. I don't want you to see this. I'll tell you when you can open your eyes again.

-Hey, Kane! What the Hell is this?! Oh my God! All this blood! I think I'm going to puke!

A few seconds later, the screams changed.

-Hey, what do you think you're doing?! Take your hands off my eyes this instant, you bitch!

-Lucia, as much as I can understand your panic, if you keep complaining I'll have to knock you out. She's doing this so that you can avoid being traumatized for life" growled Kane.

His warning made its effect, and Lucia stopped complaining.

Later, the five of them found themselves in what looked like a giant shepherd, apparently still used, if the furniture was of indication. She was sitting in front of her brother and "Kristin", with Lucia was at her side. The monster was guarding the hole where they had come from.

"Kristin" was quietly staring at her, and her gaze made her uncomfortable. She hadn't noticed it with everything that was happening, but she had a very human chest, and said chest was exposed to the world, since she wasn't covering it. It wasn't something she was comfortable with, but Kane didn't seem to mind. A foreign part of her mind wondered how much he had been exposed to such a sight to be able not to care about it.

Lucia, for her part, was glaring at both her friend's brother and at the hybrid girl. Kathryn didn't know what she was thinking, but it was fairly obvious she was pissed.

Finally, Kane started talking:

-Well, I believe it would be better if we broke the ice. Lucia, you know me, but I believe you don't know my girlfriend, nor her sister.

-Your girlfriend?!"

Lucia seemed stunned by the idea.

"Yes, I am his mate. Is there something wrong with that?" "Kristin"'s voice was surprisingly soft, and she no longer seemed to have difficulties with English. She had put her arms around Kane's shoulders, and was glaring at Lucia. She then turned to Kathryn, who felt her fear disappear. She was looking at her kindly, almost thankfully.

"Last time I was introduced as Kristin, but my real name is K'tyss. I am happy to finally meet you face to face, Kathryn. Kane has been quite clear about the fact that you have been one of his bests supports so far.

-M-my pleasure.

-Of course, I have already seen you when you came in his bedroom a few days ago, but at the time we hid in the cupboard not to disturb you.

-W-what?

-Yeah, we met around a week ago. Long story short, I found them, they tried to kill me, we had a talk, and then I took them home.

-They tried to KILL you?!" she yelled, in shock.

He laughed and rubbed his neck nervously.

"Yeah. Actually, K'tyss tried to. Then somehow we managed to understand each other, and I offered her help, since her sister, Stryss" he pointed to the monster behind them," was injured. I must say that things got a little out of hand after that.

-What do you mean?" she asked, knowing he was hiding things from her.

"Err, the fact is that their blood is concentrated acid, and I got some on my hands when we moved Stryss. When I washed it off, the skin of my forearms had been eaten away, though K'tyss told me that a normal human would have lost both his arms from that.

-A "normal" human? Why, you weren't normal at the time?" Lucia asked.

Kane fidgeted, nervous.

"Well, for the biggest part, I was. The thing is, and I didn't tell anyone before, I have never been blind. I was diagnosed blind, but the truth is that I could see what was around me. Though for some reason, instead of the normal human sight, I could see even behind myself without having to turn my head. So I guess I'm not a normal human.

Well, after I lost my skin, they felt bad, so to help me, they spitted some resin on my wounds, thinking it would make up for losing my skin. Right after that, I started vomiting blood, and I passed out, only to awake later with my eyes completely black, and my whole arms covered in the same exoskeleton as theirs. Since then, I have got a few crisis where my body mutated further. Each time, it was after some kind of...errr...event.

-What kind of event?" Kathryn asked, knowing full well that he was trying to avoid the most important parts.

-Nothing really important, don't worry...What?"

K'tyss was looking at Kane with a disapprobative look.

"Nothing important? You mean it wasn't important when that crazy woman stunned you, tied you to a bed, stunned you again, and then stabbed you?

-Kane?! Someone stabbed you?!" she yelled, worried sick. Kane wasn't helping, as he was acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"...Yeah. Luckily for me, those two were here, and saved me by giving me Royal Jelly, some kind of concentrated nutriments, which allowed my body to heal my wound in record time. Nothing really dangerous, you see.

-You forgot when that human beat you up and was about to strangle you to death.

-Who did WHAT?!" Kathryn was starting to believe her brother was either awfully unconcerned for his own well-being, or completely unconscious.

Her brother looked down, apparently uneasy with her accusing tone.

"Keith tried to strangle me. But Stryss saved me before he could finish what he wanted to do. Of course, she was pissed at Keith, so instead of me, he was the one to die. And in a painful way.

After that, well, I only got stunned once, when I tried to escape the inspector, and a policeman wanting to avenge Keith shot me in the shoulder. Otherwise, I'm fine.

-You're fine?! Are you kidding me?!" Lucia yelled.

Kathryn, for her part, could only stare at her brother in shock. He didn't look like it disturbed him to speak about things that would have been regarded as traumatic in more than a few cases.

"He IS fine. I just want him to be a little more conscious of his own strength. I mean no disrespect, but humans are pathetically weak. My sister and myself have killed more than a few already, and none were a threat to us. So I'd like him to defend himself a little more, and if necessary, kill whoever means him harm. Otherwise, he might not survive for long. At least, not now that he is obviously like my sister and me." K'tyss said.

A loud hiss coming from behind the two girls made clear that the monster, K'tyss' sister, was agreeing with her.

Lucia didn't seem fazed at all, and kept glaring at Kane.

"So, what's this story of disappearing? I hope you understand that Kathryn is going to be lonely all by herself. Hell, if it wasn't for you, she'd have gone nuts already.

-Excuse me?" her brother asked, apparently more than a little confused.

"Oh, come on! Do you think any other sister is as close to her older brother as her? Do you think an ordinary sister would keep turning down her friends to spend time with her brother? It's obvious that she loves you more than she should, considering you are brother and sister!

-Lucia?!" Kathryn screamed, her high-pitched yell resonating in the shepherd.

**Kane POV**

He was quite surprised to see how well his sister and Lucia were dealing with what had happened. He had expected them to scream, to try to flee, but apparently he had misjudged them.

However, Lucia's insinuations were puzzling him. Apparently, there was something going on, and he didn't know what it was.

-Lucia?!" his sister screamed, flustered for some reason.

The young woman laughed, surprising everyone.

-Oh, come on! I'm not THAT stupid to miss your face when you speak about him! Though, I'm surprised that you fell in love with your own brother. I thought you were a better girl than that.

-Careful how you talk to my sister", Kane growled. Kathryn was one of the very few people he would stand up for, and even if she was her friend, he wasn't about to let Lucia badmouth her.

-Oh, come on! I was only teasing her! There's no need to take it like that, Kane! Admit it, you didn't expect her to be in love with you, right?

-You seriously think I would believe something that stupid? I know she loves me as a brother, nothing more. And I love her like a sister, nothing more. So can you drop this silly joke? I'm trying to have a serious conversation here."

For a moment, Kathryn looked hurt. Now that was a surprise, did he say anything that could upset her?

As he was about to ask her what was wrong, she took a deep breath, and locked her eyes on his.

"Kane, listen to me. Lucia is right. I love you, not as a brother, but as a man," she said, deadly serious."Now, before you can say anything, let me tell you this: I am not your biological sister, Kane. You have been adopted."

The only thing he could do was stare at Kathryn while his brain was processing what she had just said.

"Wha...

-Wait a second, please, I'll explain. I learned about it when I was ten. That day, Mom and Dad were having an argument, and you were at the library. From what I heard, they had adopted you because they hadn't been able to have a child yet, but it turned out that one year later I was born. I also heard them talking about 'strange things' you said from time to time- I believe it had to do with the fact you weren't blind, even though they thought you were-, and that they should keep an eye on you. At the time, I loved you like a brother, since you were always helping me, and I thought it was just fair that I helped you. However, after knowing you weren't my brother, I started to develop a crush on you, a crush that as of today, I still have. If you want to know why I never told you anything, well...I thought you didn't need to know, because you already were blind, an in my mind, you didn't need to know about it, as it would have been painful for you.

I'm telling you this now, because it might help you to understand why you weren't 'normal', as you say, and also because I know that even if I want you to stay, you'll leave anyway, right?"

As he processed what his sister had just told him, Kane came to the realization that it explained why he was so different from her, why he was so...different. His differences had to come from his real parents, whom he didn't know. But who were they?

After a moment of thought, he decided that it didn't matter, what mattered was what he was going to say to his sister. She may not have been his biological sister, but he knew that family isn't something only about being blood-related, it was more about how you felt.

"Yes. I don't want to be cruel, but I have never been at my place, here. Humans pitied me because in their eyes, I was a failure, someone unable to do anything by himself. It is sad, but that's life. At the very least, I managed to prove them wrong.

Now, if I stay, there's no telling what'll happen. By bringing the both of you there, I can make sure that people see you as 'the lucky survivors of the monsters', and will not turn on you, Kathryn. I'd really like to stay, but after what happened, we simply can't. As a matter of fact, people will see us as dangers, and they would not be too far from the truth. That's why we will leave. However, before that, I want you to do me a favor, Kathryn. I've written everything I learned on K'tyss' and Stryss' species on notebooks that are in my desk, and I don't want anyone to find them. So I want you to burn them. Nobody must know what they contain, and especially the military. There's no telling what they might do with that knowledge. I'll hide the notebooks in your bedroom, under your pillow."

Kane then took a deep breath.

"One last thing. I want you to know that you are the best sister anyone could wish to have. You are a beautiful, kind, caring, and intelligent teenager. I really hope you'll find a good boy and that you'll be happy with him. Unfortunately, this good boy will not be me, but I know you'll find someone even better. I love you, Kathryn. Goodbye."

With a quick hit on her neck, Kathryn went limp. Lucia was also hit, before she could react. K'tyss looked at Kane, a little worried.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?

-I'm not really _okay_, but I can't really see anything better to do. I don't want either of them to be in trouble. I don't care if our parents go through Hell, they never deserved to be called parents in the first place, but I don't want my sister to be alone. And the best way for that is to make her look like a victim of her monster of a brother."

_Stryss, can you help me? We're going to stick them to the wall, the same way you did with Lily._

The alien stared at him, apparently a little lost.

_Why do you want to do that?_

_Because, for humans, finding someone cocooned labels them as victims, and victims are always innocent in humans' logic. Meaning that if we cocoon them, and make it as if when they are found is an accident, then they will not be considered as "the girls that went with the monsters", but rather as "the girls that were abducted by the monsters"._

Nodding her agreement, Stryss then dragged Lucia to the wall, fixing her against the concrete with resin, starting from her wrists, and then working on her arms, and then her body. Eventually, her whole body became covered by the resin Stryss secreted, leaving only her head hanging loosely against her chest.

Meanwhile, Kane had let his sister's head on his lap, delicately stroking her hair, and knowing full well that would probably be the last thing he would ever do for her.

Two hours later, the group emerged from the city. They had been hiding in the sewers, waiting for every policeman to go to the school, enabling them to easily slip past their grasp. The most difficult part had been to find a part of the sewers where Stryss could get out of the conducts without having to break through the concrete, as it would have ruined their efforts to stay hidden.

As they walked away from the city, Kane took a good look of it, since he didn't know if he would come back one day. Of course, it was the place where he had been treated as nothing more than human trash, but it was the only place he could call home.

As he was staring at the city, he heard two loud hisses, before a net suddenly appeared around him, quickly constricting. The last thing he saw before he passed out under the pressure the net was exerting on his body was his two friends looking at him with horror.

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**So, next chapter should be around next week end. I've set a moment of the week to get my chapters out, it's about time I respect my deadline!  
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**SO, see you all next week! And don't forget, reviews are welcome!**


	24. Chapter 24-Prisoners

**Hello! Time for this week's chapter! It's shorter than before, because I'm trying to separate events that will be happening quite fast in the next chapters, and I don't really want to have super-sized part of stories.**

**In a different note, I've recently received a few reviews about how good my story is (it's not me who' saying it, I swear), and I would like to thank those who sent them. I really do hope that I won't let you down before the end of the story (last straight line, traps everywhere!).**

**Enjoy!**

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23

Prisoners

**Stryss POV**

She awoke to the uncomfortable feeling of being lying on her back, the spines on her sides pushing against it. Her hands were restrained by handcuffs, which had the distinct feature of being padded, to avoid her cutting her skin and use her aciditic blood to escape. She was restrained to a wall, with her legs similarly hindered, and they weren't even touching the ground. Whoever had restrained her knew that she could have easily torn the handcuffs if she had been able to use her legs. She had a muzzle, which prevented her from using her second mouth to kill anyone who would have come close enough.

That was enough for her to worry. She knew only one person who knew enough about her kind to take that much precautions, and she sincerely hoped she was wrong. Because if she was not, then the three of them were in real danger.

She didn't really remember how she had happened to be captured, but she knew that at least Kane had been captured immediately before she had fallen unconscious. Her kind was resilient, true, but there were still things that could hurt them, kill them, or simply knock them out. Though, to be fair, it would have taken a huge dose of whatever was used to keep her asleep for long. As for what she knew, her immune system was powerful enough to wipe out any foreign substance quite fast, so the dose necessary to keep her asleep while transporting her must have had to be massive.

She tried struggling against her restraints, but with nothing to support her limbs, she couldn't do anything. It was infuriating that someone as powerful as her, with her strength and her armored body, couldn't even break free of her restraints. She screeched in anger, not because that would change anything, but because Kane had said that sometimes it was the best way to vent her anger, and then be able to think more rationally. Surprisingly, it worked, at least a little, and she started to wonder where K'tyss and Kane were. Nobody else was with her in her cell , which, by the way, was awfully big.

_K'tyss? Kane?_ she called, afraid of what no answer would mean.

Luckily, that was not the case.

_Stryss?! You're alive? _ K'tyss voice asked.

_Where the bloody fuck are we? _Kane's voice asked. _I remember that I got caught in a fucking net, and then I wake up on this fucking table! _

The mention of the table worried Stryss. She remembered that every time she had been tied to a table, _He_ had experimented on her. K'tyss seemed to have reached a similar conclusion.

_Do we tell him? _K'tyss asked.

Her concern was obvious. She loved Kane with all her heart, but at the same time, telling him what was about to happen would only scare him, and possibly make him suffer more.

_It's your decision. But I think you should tell him, otherwise he may get angry at us later._

_Why are things always complicated? _her sister sighed.

Nonetheless, she warned Kane that he should expect some extremely painful things to happen to him in the near future.

_Great. Fucking great. We manage to get out of trouble with humans, and then we get caught by the same mad scientist that created you._

The displeasure was in his voice was evident.

_And I can't even move, so escaping is impossible. I think whatever God there is in Heaven hates my guts_, he sighed.

Stryss could understand him. Even if he hadn't been experimented on, everything that had happened to him as of late was starting to wear him down. She could easily sense that Kane was far from okay, in fact, considering his current state of mind, she was surprised he hadn't snapped yet. To be honest, she half-expected him to have a serious mental breakdown at any moment. His emotions were out of control, his thoughts were going haywire, and the only thing that probably kept him from going insane at the moment was the fact he was talking to them. They were the only constant in his life as of late, so she supposed that having at least one thing he could consider normal prevented him from going crazy.

Her thoughts were distracted when the door leading to the room she was held in slid open, letting in someone she had hoped she would never, _ever_, see again.

It was a humanoid, approximately eight feet tall, with a very muscular build. It had metallic armored pieces on his shoulders, hips, and knees, and a metallic breastplate protected it's chest. It skin was a dark green, bordering on a dark brown, and it had what looked like dreadlocks falling on its shoulders. It's face was covered by a mask entirely carved into a material which looked like bone, but it was a wonder just how big the original animal had been for one of its bones to be that size.

With a growl, Stryss tried to lunge at him, but her restraints held, and all she could do was hiss angrily. That did not disturb the humanoid, who hit her in the stomach, hard. It wasn't enough to break her skeleton, but it definitely hurt. With a snarl, it took out something that looked like a syringe, only that it was at least twice the size of a human one, with a very long and nasty looking needle. It then plunged it into her neck, pushing the mixture it contained into her body.

Now, since her blood was a highly pressured and corrosive acid, it should easily dissolve whatever was forcefully injected into her blood system, but whatever it was, it wasn't affected by it. Pain flared through her body, and she hissed loudly, trying to break free, this time to escape the suffering. She shrieked and trashed, but she couldn't break free, while the pain slowly but steadily invaded her whole body.

The last thing she was conscious enough to notice was that _He_ had left.

**Kane POV**

To be honest, Kane was scared shitless. He had heard the way the two sisters spoke of the mad scientist that created them, and if anyone could make them fear them, then whoever it was deserved to be feared. No shit.

He was currently lying on his back, with his tail and limbs restrained, and he even had metallic restraints around his elbows, knees, and neck. So even with his inhuman strength, he highly doubted he would be able to move if whoever put him there didn't want him to. He knew that Stryss was in trouble, he could _feel _her pain, but he didn't know what was happening. All his attempts to ask her what was happening were met either with pain, or, since a few minutes ago, nothing. The kind of _nothing_ that made him fear that she was dead, and well dead. He could only hope he was wrong.

A door opening brought him back to reality, as a giant humanoid entered the room where he was. His instincts immediately told him that he (it didn't have any female features, after all) was extremely dangerous, and to be careful around him, if he did not want to see his head separated from his body. Instinctively, his body tensed, all of his senses following the male who had entered.

"Feeling well, 27?"

Kane could only stare in shock at the humanoid before him, for that he had just spoken English. Well, it had a strange accent, but it _was_ English.

As he didn't answer, the humanoid growled and all of a sudden, his body convulsed, once again hit by an electric shock.

"I ask you if you feeling well. Answer.

-Do you think I feel well when I've just been shocked?!"

Another growl and another shock later, Kane answered.

"Before you started shocking me, I was fine! There! Are you happy now?!

-No pains? No disorientation?

-Wha...? No, of course not! Why the Hell are you asking this..."

This time, the shock was far worse than before.

"Silence. When I ask, you answer. When I don't ask, you don't speak. Clear?"

He carefully nodded, as he did not trust his mouth to give a polite answer. At least that seemed to please the humanoid.

"Good. Now, I take samples from you."

He could only watch with horror a needle twice the size of a middle finger entered his arm, and he screamed in pain. It didn't stop there, though. For the next hour, whatever the humanoid was, it took blood samples (how he managed to avoid it burning though the syringe was unknown), skin samples, and finally, bone samples. Those were the worst, and Kane screamed so much he felt as if his mouth had dried up.

Finally, the scientist left, leaving him where he was, too exhausted to move.

**K'tyss POV**

She was lying, curled in ball, in a corner of her cell. She had handcuffs around her wrists, padded to prevent her from cutting herself to break free. The same restraints were around her legs, and she had a muzzle on her face. All these security measures were useless, though, since at the moment, she was too distraught to even think about escaping. She had felt Stryss's pain, she had felt Kane's, and she was too shocked to even muster the strength to move.

It was their fault. Kane had been captured by _that _man, and it was entirely their fault! While Stryss had suffered, she had simply been restrained, and then left into a cell, as nothing more than an animal. However, it was still better than her family's situtation, and she hated herself for not being able to share their fate. At least it would have been what she deserved for dragging the two people she loved into this. If she had listened to Stryss and fled to a desert part of Earth, she wouldn't have had to suffer again in the experiments of that madman, and if she hadn't been there, Kane wouldn't have had to live through this Hell.

She was only able to hope that the occasion to escape would present itself once again.

**Stryss POV**

She groaned. Her body hurt like Hell, and she felt strangely weak. When she tried to look around, she was shocked to see that for some reason, she couldn't see her skeleton anymore. Well, more accurately, she could see it, but instead of covering her whole body, it was now strangely leaving blank spots. Trying to move, she felt something brush on her head, and she quickly looked, only to see... nothing. Well, nothing was exaggerated. She could see something dark dangling before her. And to say she was surprised, dumbfounded, aghast, was an understatement. She knew what it was, but she never thought she would have some. It was _hair_. Hair, for Mother's sake! She wasn't supposed to have it! Nobody in their species had hair! Wait, that was wrong. K'tyss and Kane had hair! Did that mean that she had become like them? More human, and less alien? And if she did, was it bad? She tried to examine herself closer.

Like K'tyss, her neck was left an collarbone were unprotected, but her chest had two thin layers of dark skin protecting it, the skeleton left her stomach free, and then covered her crotch. the pattern it took reminded her of something Kane had shown her sister and herself when they were talking about human customs, something called a "swimsuit". The pattern of her skeleton reminded her of what Kane had called a "one piece swimsuit", as that it covered areas human considered obscene, though why they thought so was a complete mystery to her. She still had the black excrescences at her elbows, but her arms were now thinner, and had five fingers instead of four. The same kind of "crown" that K'tyss and Kane had on their heads was on hers, protecting it quite well.

However, what disturbed her the most was her size: she was now a lot smaller than before, barely seven feet tall. It was strange to see things from this new point of view. Wobbling slightly, she tried getting up, but her center of gravity had changed, and she barely had the time to put prevent herself from falling. That was partly because her tail was still as long as before, but with her new size, it was difficult to handle herself.

After carefully sitting down, at least to take the time to adjust herself to her new body, she wondered what _He_ intended to do by transforming her like this. Because it was obviously _His _fault that she now had this body, instead of her old one, the giant, pitch-black, and incredibly powerful one. It wasn't that bad to be like this, though.

Well, Kane would certainly be less tense around her. Of course, as the gentleman he was, he tried to hide it, but it was easy for her to notice that each time, he tensed ever so slightly when she was around him. He didn't do that for K'tyss. Hopefully, he would be able to see her as another possible mate. Unlike K'tyss, she didn't really _love_ him. She certainly cared for him a lot, but it was more like he was her little brother. However, she wasn't blind enough not to know that he was the only possible mate for someone like her. After all, he was the only male of his type that she knew of. The only male like _her_, and the only one able to ensure their new breed's continuation. The fact that he was who he was, kind and caring, was just icing on the cake.

She curled up and decided to sleep. There wasn't much more that she could do at that point than to rest and keep her strength to kill their warden when the opportunity would present itself. It was only a matter of time.

**K'tyss POV**

As she was dwelling in her self-depreciating thoughts, she heard footsteps. She immediately tensed, as for even if her mind wanted to share the fate of her family, if only to ease her conscience, she was still sane enough to fear the pain that would inevitably come from a session of experiments on her.

However, to her surprise, the footsteps stopped a little before reaching her cell. She could hear a door slid open, and a roar of anger, that clearly belonged to someone or something that didn't want to be here. What surprised her, though, was that it resembled their warden's scream of anger. It was definitely coming from another one of those accursed Hunters. That was strange, though. During the time she had lived in the lab, she had never seen anyone else from _His_ species, and she had assumed he worked alone. She knew _His_ kind was based on individual skill, so maybe he was alone to prove that he could create another kind of prey for his brethren all by himself?

The sounds coming from the other cell didn't indicate any kind of friendship between _Him_ and the Other Hunter. The Other Hunter seemed rather angry at _Him_, and _He_ didn't seem to mind. Was it possible that _He_ had started experimenting on his own brothers and sisters? Impossible, from what she knew from her memories of their kind, they had a code of honor, and respected others' accomplishments.

Footsteps grew weaker, indicating that _He_ had left. All she could do was wonder who was in the cell next to her.

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**I hope you enjoyed this short chapter, next one will be out next week end (hopefully this time it won't take more time than initially planned).  
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**I know the fact that they were captured by Preds was kind of obvious, but trust me, I have a reason for that, and at this point, I can really do little to change what I've planned for the characters without completely rewriting the story. I can just hope that you'll enjoy the next chapters( good stimulation to keep trying my best for all of you, damn straight!).**


	25. Chapter 25-Plans

**Hello everyone, I am back! May I ask for your forgiveness (no, wait, not the stake!) for being so late in uploading this chapter? I am sorry that it took so long, but once again, I couldn't manage to write things how I wanted them to be, so it took a while. Now, I am also working, so I have little time to write, so from now on, the chapters will probably be shorter, and not out every week (though these times I hasn't been the case), but rather roughly every two weeks (roughly).**

**I hope that the story will be good enough for you all to forgive for this, as I will try my best to make it interesting.**

**One last thing: I know that the fact it was the madman who captured our three heroes was obvious, but I believe this chapter will provide enough information as for why it has been so. After all, it couldn't have been the humans, as they hadn't known for long that there were aliens in the town.**

**Now, enjoy!**

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**##I do not own Alien, Predator or AVP##**

24

Plans

_**His**_** POV**

Things were going smoothly. Of course, he had had to adjust a few things, considering the quick maturation of one of the females, the oldest one. He had expected her to evolve, of course, he knew at least that much, but he had hoped that the human DNA, a little more present in her body, would have hindered and slowed her evolution. And yet, much to his surprise, she had gone from a simple Drone, something even a Young Blood could take care of, to a Praetorian, which was something that even Blooded had trouble dealing with. Of course, he had had to make her mutate further, making her a lot closer to humans, as if he had let her as she was, he had no doubt she would have became a Queen very soon. Not that he was really afraid of a Queen, he had killed two of them, but each time he had two Blooded with him to distract them. And a Queen was not only dangerous because of the physical threat she represented, no, she was dangerous because she was startlingly more intelligent and vicious than her children. He had seen one of them let an Elite get close to her after using his spear to pierce her throat and seemingly kill her, get up and sever all four of the imprudent Elite's limbs, before ripping his head off. She had been intelligent enough to play dead, something no lesser Hard Meat would have done.

He was currently monitoring his current experiments. Most of them tended to be stupid mutants, enable to do anything even remotely intelligent, but a few were clever enough to be interesting. Of course, none of them were as good as his three current guests. The two females were extremely intelligent, something he had easily noticed, so he had had the idea of performing a little test, to see how far they would be able to go.

He replayed the recording of their "escape". They had easily opened their cells, and they had been able to know where to go to escape his research facility. He had been impressed when they had used the escape pod, and gone to Earth. Of course, they didn't know a thing about the destination of the pod, or why it had been programmed with this peculiar coordinates. They couldn't have known that he had already left one of his earlier experiments- a failure, too human, too _weak_- in the very town they had landed close to.

He remembered well the day where he had created that one. It was the beginning of his research, and his twenty-six previous experiments had died, as they were too warped to have functional vital functions. The twenty-seventh one, however, had lived, but it had still been a failure. He had hoped that using Praetorian DNA and mixing it with human DNA would create what he was searching for, but for some reason, the baby was entirely human, without even a trace of his Hard Meat's heritage. Worse, it seemed too weak to live, his two different DNA clashing with each other for dominance. In the end, the human DNA had made the Hard Meat's traits dormant, and stabilized into what looked like a normal human baby. He had briefly considered killing it, as it was not what he had wanted, but something in his mind had prevented him from doing so. Was it his old training, that stupid "Honor" coming back after years of silence? He didn't know. So, instead of killing that one, he had brought it to Earth, and left it somewhere where it would be found. He wanted to see what his experiment would look like in the long run. Maybe it's children would exhibit more alien traits than their father? All he had to do was wait. He had placed a tracking device inside it, which would allow him to know where it was at all times. He could wait. Human lives were so short, it wouldn't be long before it would be able to reproduce.

He had been surprised when he had noticed that his new experiments had made contact with his old one, and even more when the tracking device had started sending him notices about changes in the male's DNA. Whatever had happened, had unlocked his previous failure most deadly traits. He had decided he could use some practice, and had gone for Earth too. Of course, at first, he had simply followed the three of them from a distance, as he had plenty of devices that allowed him to track their every move without them knowing it. He had been surprised to see the oldest of his experiments lose it and kill the human who had been strangling 27. He had thought that they were closer to the Hard Meat kind when it came to things like this. He had expected it to use the distraction to kill the human when he was unaware of it's presence, but instead it had rescued 27. That had called for new hypothesis on their behavior.

He had spent a whole day evaluating this hypothesis, and he had been forced to acknowledge that it was very interesting. Apparently, they had started to consider 27 as a member of their Hive, and unlike their purebred cousins, they cared for it. That was a good point to further the analysis on them, since it meant that they were potentially even more dangerous than normal Hard Meats, as it meant they could hold a grudge.

He had wanted to observe the three of them further, however the events had called for a quick change of plans. Because of their recklessness, the humans were now aware of their presence, something that bothered him. Humans were bothersome, as while they were not a threat individually, there was always one of them who was cleverer than his peers, and it wouldn't be long before the three of them would be found and dealt with.

Since he couldn't afford loosing either of them, he had had to take action. He had targeted 27, since it was obviously the one with the less experience in combat, and that the two others seemed to care for it. It was simply a matter of using the weakest of the three to lead them into a trap, and it had worked. Of course, he had had to modify the older of the two, as it was soon going to become a Queen, and he couldn't afford the risk of having eggs inside his facility. The primary stage of their kind was a parasite layer, and to top it off, they were able to crawl into spaces their more evolved forms weren't, and he didn't want to risk having an infestation in his facility. One or two of the primary stage, he would be able to deal with, as they weren't resistant at all. However, if he had a Queen laying eggs, there wouldn't be only one or two, but easily twenty or thirty, and with high numbers, they would be bound to get him sooner or later.

He switched to the screen displaying the previously Queen to be, and he was satisfied to see that it was now much more human-like. At least the changes in its reproductive system should be enough to prevent it from beginning to lay eggs. He would have to check on it later, to be sure the sudden hadn't caused any unwanted effects, but he was fairly sure it was healthy. He would have to test its new physical abilities, but if it was as the other female, then they should be nearly intact. Of course, its resistance would have diminished, as well as its strength, but not too much, as the youngest one's was on par with his own.

That brought him to something he had yet to do: test 27. Since he had gotten it back, he had simply taken samples of the male hybrid, to try and see what had changed in his DNA since the last time had seen it. So far, the results were very promising, and he had a few ideas on what he would do in the near future. Considering the subject's adaptable DNA, he had a few ideas to enhance it, something that sent shivers down his spine. If he was able to make it even more lethal, he would consider that his goal was nearly achieved: he wanted a more dangerous kind of Hard Meat, and so far, he hadn't been disappointed. His three experiments had the strength of the pure Hard Meats, their ability to hide, hunt in silence, they were intelligent, and even more, they were attached to each other, something that made them difficult to deal with, as killing one of them inevitably meant that another one would make hunting and killing you a personal matter.

With a growl of satisfaction, he started to plan what he would do to test 27.

**? POV**

Another mighty roar shook the walls of his cell. It did not help him in any way, but it was still better to let your anger out rather than let it consume you. And mind you, he was **dearly **pissed. So he kept roaring, until he finally felt the burning anger recede to more tolerable levels. Even when restrained, without any hope to get out (not escape, escaping was for cowards), he did not feel fear. He had faced far more terrifying things in his life, and he had been trained -hard-, not to be afraid. Or at least, not to let the fear control him and make him lose his will and ability to fight.

So he kept waiting. He may be restrained like an animal, he may have lost his weapons to the Bad Blood, apart from his surgically implanted wrist blades, but he would not let himself die like an animal. If he was to die, so be it, but he would die like a warrior, and he would be sure to do whatever he could to take the Bad Blood with him.

Just thinking about _him _made him growl. That _traitor_ had been one of the most respected Elites of all times, with impressive hunt trophies, and he had looked up at _his_ legend, hoping that one day he would be at least a little worthy of such praise. That had made the fact of _his_ treason that much worse for their nation. They lived in secluded clans, true, but there was still a minimum of contact between them, and the most notorious hunters were like living gods to the others. They were the ones people would turn to for guidance, to discuss what an honorable hunt truly was. They were the pillars of their society, the one who would inspire countless Young Bloods by their glorious hunts.

That bastard had simply stated that _he_ would make another species, even more dangerous, for the sake of the Hunt. While they enjoyed hard targets, after all the harder the challenge the better the victory, there were a few things his species did not tolerate. One was being a dishonorable adversary, which included killing a defenseless prey (meaning wounded, or too old or young to be a threat), and one of the others was to mess with nature. They did encourage genetic engineering, but only to enhance what they already possessed. Using science to create monsters was not honorable at all, as it was seen as something unnatural, and even with their technology, which led for the most part to abominations.

At first, _he_ hadn't acted strange, but soon, _he_ started hunting more and more ruthlessly, before starting to set up completely dishonorable hunts, trapping human children and then releasing them in jungles with Hard Meats, and then joining the carnage himself. It had started as rumors, and it took ten human years before he was caught in the act by a Young Blood. _He_ had killed him, and then taken his head as a trophy, the ultimate disgrace for a warrior. It meant you renounced at every right you had as a Hunter, and that you were fine being nothing more than a rabid animal, which had to be put out of his misery.

Unfortunately, during _his_ time as an Elite, he had managed to get quite a few things and create devices that allowed him to hide effectively, even his own research facility. Add to this the fact that given his skill, he had been allowed to remote planets most had never heard of, he could have hidden anywhere. And given that he was a very skilled Bad Blood, getting his head as a trophy was something was enough of a motivation to encourage anyone who would have information on him to keep it to themselves, hoping to be the one to get the fame of his death.

Of course, he hadn't come here for that. While he appreciated hunting and gaining fame, it was not his primary objective here. No, he had come to put an end to the madness of one of the most respected hunters of all times, and to stop his experiments. Even if logic would have dictated to hide _his _experiments, he apparently could not keep himself from testing them against unsuspecting Blooded. Of course, most of the time, these experiments were nothing but rabid beasts, so disposing of them was an act of mercy, but from time to time some were good enough to kill the Blooded and get away, becoming the primary target of the whole clan, as unlike a natural prey, they were merely abominations.

The first thing he would do when he would have killed the Bad Blood would be to destroy his "research" as he called it, and exterminate whatever monstrosities were left in the facility. Nobody should be able to do things like this, and he would make sure that nobody would have the material _he_ had used, nor _his_ notes.

As he continued to think about everything he would do when he would get out, he failed to notice the sound of the ventilation, which until then had been fairly silent. He also failed to notice the very faint smell of the gas that made him fall asleep.

**Kane POV**

Kane was torn between curiosity and fear, though fear was prevalent, considering his situation. Even if he hadn't known that the humanoid was completely mad and extremely dangerous, which he had easily learned by listening to K'tyss and Stryss, he would have guessed it himself. After all, since his arrival here, whatever this here was, the male Hunter (as the sisters called his species) had taken samples from him without even anesthetizing him, and seemed to consider him like little more than dirt. _Interesting_ dirt, but dirt.

This time, he hadn't awoken on the surgical table he had been on when he had first woken up, this time he was restrained in a room by shackles, which held him against the wall, even keeping his tail from moving freely. He wasn't really surprised, though. He had expected something like this, since he had lost consciousness after the bloody madman had taken samples from him. That didn't make it any more enjoyable, though.

As he was left to himself, he began thinking about Kathryn. Was she well? He hoped she didn't get into trouble, but he had done everything he could to ensure that she would not be seen as his accomplice. However, he was not stupid enough to believe that people would simply let her be. The military and police would probably interrogate her, hoping to learn where he had gone, what his abilities were, and everything else they would be able to get from her. Hopefully, they would not think to search her bedroom for anything, as they were much more likely to check his own room. He was not stupid, though, and he had taken extra care to hide the textbooks where they would not think to look.

Thinking about his sister made him feel guilty. It had been his fault that her life had been changed, and he deeply regretted what had happened. He knew he had been a right asshole when they had talked before leaving, but at the time, his brain was focused on his own survival, and it was only now that he realized how much of a bastard he had been. She had confessed that she loved him, for God's sake! And all he had done was abandon her. He knew he couldn't have stayed, but a nasty little voice in the back of his mind kept reminding him that if he had really wanted to, he could easily have gone into hiding in the town.

He swore to himself that if he managed to get out of wherever he was, he would find a way to keep in touch with Kathryn, if only to tell her he was okay, and to make sure that _she_ was okay. And if anyone had been mean to her, was it military, or simply an idiotic high school student, there would be Hell to pay. He could not afford to make himself known, it would simply mean trouble for Kathryn, but that didn't mean that there weren't any other ways to insure that she was treated correctly.

All of a sudden, he found himself on all fours on the ground, the shackles that had been holding him having suddenly opened. Confused, he stayed crouched, and suspiciously examined his surroundings. He was not stupid enough to think that it was mere luck that his restraints had been opened, and his instincts told him that he was in for a nasty surprise if he wasn't careful. With an instinctive growl, he climbed on the ceiling, as it was something the scientist couldn't do, and that gave him a slight advantage.

However, he was surprised when the door opened on its own, and that nobody entered the cell. His enhanced senses would have told him if someone had entered, even if _he_ was invisible. After, _he_ could hide his body, not his smell, nor his pheromones, and his sense of smell was good enough to detect this kind of thing.

Perplexed, he stayed where he was, in an obscure corner of the cell, all his senses scanning the area to detect a potential threat, but nothing happened. He was about to relax slightly, when the ventilation got off, and he immediately sensed the very faint smell of a chemical product, something that would obviously be of no good for him.

Deciding that he wasn't about to breathe anything chemical, which, considering the kind of person the Hunter was, would probably have rather unpleasant effects on him, he made his way to the door, crawling carefully, his claws making very faint noises when they collided with the metal. Popping his head in the corridor, he looked around, and noticed that the end of the corridor was closed, leaving him with only one way to go, as they were not any kind of pipe he could fit in. It was clearly some kind of trap, but if he stayed where he was, the gas that had been filling his cell would eventually get to him, so he reluctantly followed the corridor.

He advanced carefully, taking in his surroundings. On both sides of the corridor were doors, metal doors, very thick, and he doubted that even him would be able to break them open. Besides, it looked like _he_ wanted him to act as a guinea pig, so _he_ would obviously not intervene while he acted as _he_ wanted him to. So he continued advancing slowly, reflexively walking on all fours rather than like humans did, and his tail slowly drifted from left to right, balancing him and moving according to his moves.

He had tried to contact the sisters, but none of them had answered, so he was worried. He _knew_ they were fine-well, alive, at least-, his instincts told him as much, but for some reason, they weren't answering him. Considering the situation, he guessed that the scientist must have put them to sleep. The thing was, if they were sleeping, that meant that _he_ had planned to do something to them, so he was worried about their well-being.

However, as he had no clue about his own situation, he focused on it, as anyway, there was no way that he would be able to do anything to help his mate or her sister. He didn't even know where they were held.

He noticed that he had arrived to another door, this one different from the others. It didn't _look_ different from the others, but there was something about it that sent shivers down his spine. However, he didn't have the time to worry, as it opened, clearly meaning that _he_ wanted him to advance further.

He found himself in a large room, the size of half a football stadium. The walls were covered in deep gashes, and the ground was plastered with stains that looked like blood.

_Okkayy...Better get out NOW!_ Kane thought, turning to rush through the door he had come from, only to find it closed.

Panicking, he frantically looked around, desperate to find an exit, his instincts urging him to flee the room, for it was a place of death. He didn't mind death, his instincts didn't mind it, for that he was a killer at mind, however, their kind were supposed to be the killers, not the killed. And the room was definitely a place where many people (or monsters, he wasn't sure how to call himself) like him had been killed.

Remembering the sisters' comments about when the Hunter had made them fight their own brethren, Kane gulped. He may have the instincts of a killer, but he also had the mind of a human, and while he understood the basics of his new condition, that didn't mean he wanted to kill, or even fight. Well, he would fight to defend himself, that was for sure, but if he could avoid killing, he would do so. Unless what or who he would have to face was a rabid monster that needed to be put down, of course. No sense in giving mercy to someone or something that would stab you in the back.

He was brought back to reality by the sound of a door opening. Immediately, he climbed on the ceiling, concealing himself in a dark corner at the best of his ability. And considering his new nature, one would have a hard time knowing he was here if one wasn't looking for him specifically. Staring to the door that was opening, he could easily see a bipedal form, with a muscular build.

He was surprised when the door finished opening, revealing a Hunter, but definitely not the one he had expected. With his enhanced senses, he could easily tell that this one looked younger, and had a slightly less muscular build, though he would have put many human bodybuilders to shame. His skin was also clearer, a yellowish green, when _his_ skin was more brownish. He also didn't have this air of a madman around him, but he still did have the air of a formidable opponent around him.

Somehow, Kane couldn't help but wonder what this was about.

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**Hope this was good enough for you, and see you in(roughly) two weeks!**

**PS: Someone told me she/he was a fan of the Kathryn/Kane pairing, so sometimes in the future, I'll write a little one-shot about it. It will be classed M, like the original story, or those who may be wondering.**


	26. Chapter 26-Fight

**Hello everyone!I'm happy to say that this time, I've kept my promise to update after two weeks! I don't know wht you'll think of this chapter, but I hope you'll enjoy it!**

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**##I don't own Alien, Predator, or AVP##**

25

Fight

**? POV**

He groggily got up, his body feeling sore from the time he had been unconscious. Immediately, his instincts kicked in, and he scanned the room to find any threats. It was a shame that the Bad Blood had taken his mask, as it would have allowed him a few other spectrums than the visible one to check, but he could do without it. All he had left were his wrist blades, as like all of his kind, he had them surgically implanted. It was a way to ensure that no Hunter ever, would die without a weapon on him, as it would have been the ultimate dishonor. They weren't much, but a good Blooded could easily make good use of them, and an Elite would be even better with using the sharp instruments.

Crouching a little, he adopted a hunting pose, one that allowed him a maximum mobility at a moment's notice, while making him harder to hit with any kind of long-range weaponry. Moving in short, quick leaps, he managed to check his immediate surroundings and make sure that there was no immediate threat. With that cleared, he relaxed slightly, though his posture didn't change much. He was far from being able to relax when he was most likely about to be involved in some kind of crazy experiment.

He was in a one-way corridor, and he could say that the only intelligent thing, rather, the _only_ thing he could do for the moment was to follow the corridor, and to be vigilant.

After a long, careful walk down the corridor, he eventually found himself before a dead end, but before he could go back to check the extremely low possibility that he had missed a door, the wall opened. Immediately, he crouched, preparing to be attacked as soon as the wall would have finished opening.

The new opening led to a very large room, but what he saw wasn't the size of said room, but the fact that there was evidence of struggles everywhere: scratches, gashes, and what was worse was the smell. It reeked of blood, not only Hard Meat blood, but human, and even some of his kind. Now, as a Hunter, he had been trained to keep his fear in check at all times, and considering his life so far, it had been an invaluable skill. However, as he felt the air in the room, he couldn't help but feel nervous, for the first time in years. At least, when he was hunting, even if he died, it would be that his prey was more skilled and resourceful than him, meaning that his death was simply a matter of going against someone that was more dangerous than him. Here, however, it wasn't even a hunt, and he highly doubted that whatever was waiting for him in there was going to be enjoyable.

As he glanced around, he didn't notice anything amiss. Perhaps whatever he was going to fight-because he could easily tell he was going to _fight_ something- hadn't entered yet? Just to be sure, he looked more carefully, especially in the places that he would hide, like the dark corners...There! Something was there! It was not moving, staying deathly still, but it was easy to see that it was not a part of the wall.

Carefully, he made his blades grow out, preparing for the incoming attack. Yet, the shape didn't move. Luckily for him, it appeared that whatever monstrosity was hiding in that dark corner, it hadn't noticed the fact he had prepared himself, otherwise he might have been dead already. If the Hard Meats were good at something, it was killing, and if one of them, or at least something that had been created with a part of them, had noticed he was readying himself, he would have been dead on the spot. They were prone to use their incredible speed to launch sneak, surprise attacks, and it was often enough to kill a distracted or unarmed Hunter.

Deciding that it was better to take the initiative than to have it taken from him, he suddenly closed on the shape, and used his blades to cut the form, only to have it escape by a few millimeters, the creature hissing before jumping back, landing on the ground. It had the face of a young human male, and its chest was covered by human skin. That, however, was all that could be seen that linked the being to humans, as every other part of its body belonged to a Hard Meat. A quick analysis told him that it had to be a mix of human with a Praetorian, as its size and the spikes on its back seemed to indicate. It was too small to be a mix of a human and a Queen, though he didn't really know if the size was a good indicator, since he had yet to know how human DNA affected Hard Meats.

He was brought back to reality by his instincts kicking in, as he barely avoided having his face ripped off by the claws that were trying to connect with his neck. He brought his blades up, predicting that the thing's next move would be to leap on him, meaning it would impale itself on it. He was surprised when instead of doing that, the thing leapt back, landing on its hind legs, and crouched, observing him in an unnerving fashion.

_It's as if it was analyzing me, and devising a plan to kill me. Usually, Hard Meats are only able of the most basic strategic behavior, but maybe this one is a little cleverer than the others?_

As he was thinking, the thing simply stared at him, its tail moving lazily from left to right. Deciding that the longer it would last, the worst it would be for him, he decided to kill it as fast as he could. The poor thing hadn't asked to exist, after all.

Roaring, he rushed at it, paying close attention to its tail. Its claws were dangerous, but were less likely to cause permanent harm on him, while its tail would severely harm him if it was to connect with his body. It could easily sever one of his limbs, or even his head if he didn't pay it enough attention. And even if it didn't, all it had to do was connect with his chest to cause a deadly wound. Even worse, he simply couldn't cut it off, as it would let the acid blood of the thing drip from it, giving it a possibly even greater weapon. He could block the tail all right, but he couldn't afford to touch the acid substance, as it would eat away his skin, muscles, and bones very quickly, leaving him severely wounded. Unfortunately, the creature noticed that he was paying too much attention to its tail, and choose to use it to seemingly stab him, only to retract it at the last second when his hands reached to block it, and instead swept it under his legs, destabilizing him.

He rolled on the side, avoiding the tail that would have crushed his head if he had stayed where he was, and quickly got up, his arms protecting his chest while doing so. He immediately blocked the claws that were aiming for his chest, and used his momentum to push his blades in his adversary's shoulder, earning himself a scream. What surprised him was that the scream was human, not a loud screech like he would have expected.

For a moment, he paused, and if he hadn't known better, he could have sworn that the thing had a resigned look in its eyes, before that look faded away and was replaced by a cold determination that he had seen many times in the eyes of his many preys: the determination to stay alive at all costs. Now _that_ was something he could respect. Each prey that had given him this look had been particularly rewarding in its own way. Even those who weren't really worthy of his blades always had something more than the others when then had this look in their eyes. They were more difficult to kill, and he always felt proud to have fought against preys that even cornered, didn't cower and kept fighting instead of trying to flee or, in case of humans, beg for their life. He wasn't a sentimentalist, by all means, but he always felt connected to those who, even if desperate, kept their heads high and fought to the end. Life was harsh, and only those who were ready to do anything they had to stay alive deserved to be respected.

With a snarl, the creature jumped back, using its hand to cover the wound and keep the blood from leaking. Of course, some drops still fell on the ground, and quickly dissolved a part of the metal, but all in all, it had managed to prevent a major blood loss. And the wound was healing quickly, as the blood was already coagulating, forming a dark red film preventing any further leaking of vital fluids.

With a scream of fury, the thing jumped and suspended itself to the ceiling, making sure that he wouldn't be able to hit it, and quickly moved away. It seemed to disappear in the shadows, and even though he had a superior hearing, he couldn't hear anything indicating that the creature he was fighting was moving, which was quite unnerving. He should have been able to pick up the faint noises it made when its claws collided with the ceiling, which could only mean two things: either the thing was even better than a Hard Meat at concealing the noises it made, or the thing wasn't moving. Considering the two options carefully, he decided that it must have been the former. He was quite sure the thing was moving, slowly, carefully, avoiding to make noises, just to be able to leap on him from an unexpected angle. Hard Meats were experts in surprise attacks, that and using their numbers to overwhelm their enemies. Considering that the thing was alone, since so far he hadn't been attacked by another one, it was obvious it was going to rely on its stealth abilities to get him.

**Kane POV**

Kane was seething. He knew he shouldn't be that angry, but the whole situation was starting to get on his nerves. He had stayed hidden, hoping desperately that the Hunter would simply let him be, but no, that was too much to hope for. And of course, he had been attacked right away, so he had defended himself, but all he had gained was a cut on his shoulder. Had he been human, he would have been worried, but considering his new condition, he didn't care much, and the wound was already healing anyway.

He was now currently hiding in the shadows, not moving, and thinking about what he should do to get the Hunter. He wanted to hurt him, since he had done nothing to deserve the wound he had received. Analyzing his foe, he noticed that he didn't seem to have any weapons apart from the blades he was wearing on his arms, which eased his mind a little. At least he didn't have to worry about long-range attacks. However, it was clear to him that he shouldn't be too confident. It was painfully clear that his adversary had a lot of fighting experience, and even with only his blades, he wasn't to be underestimated. For his part, he had no experience at all, only instincts that told him how to kill quickly and efficiently, but that was nowhere near enough for him to get the advantage, no, he would need to do some creative thinking if he wanted to stay alive.

He mentally checked what weapons he had: tail with deadly blade, check; claws, check; acid blood, check. And that was ALL. He couldn't count on his strength or speed, as it was clear that his foe was probably even stronger than himself, and speed, well...He could use it, sure, but he wasn't sure it was going to be very useful. He wasn't idiotic enough to believe he would be able to outclass the Hunter's experience, or his physical skills, except, perhaps, his speed. All he could hope for was that he would be able to stay alive long enough for him to grow tired and leave him alone, or hope that he would be able to kill him with a surprise attack.

At the thought, he shivered. He wasn't the kind of guy who could easily kill someone else, even though he didn't really have a choice. Considering he had murdered someone a few days ago, he felt bad at the idea of having to do it again, but he wasn't about to let himself get killed either.

He wanted to sigh, but he stopped at the last second, remembering that it would give away his position.

_I really wish I knew why things turned out like this_, he thought. _I mean, it's not like I wanted to become someone who killed on a daily basis, though I knew that I would have to kill when I stayed with K'tyss. Anyway, let's try to get out of this alive, we'll think about it later._

Moving carefully, he moved through the shadows, extremely slowly, aware of every sound he made, hoping that they were not loud enough to be noticed. He positioned himself in another corner, which allowed him so see the back of his opponent. He quickly formulated a plan that he hoped was foolproof, though he knew there was still a risk that it would fail.

Preparing himself, he leapt on his foe, using all the strength his legs could muster to gain more speed. Midway through his jump, he saw the Hunter start to turn, as he had expected him to, and with the help of his inhuman senses managed to grab his arms to prevent him from stabbing him again. The two of them landed roughly on the floor, Kane on top using his hands to hold the blades away from him, while he quickly used his tail to cut a deep gash in his opponent's leg, making him roar in anger. He felt himself being lifted and shoved-hard- against the closest wall. The shock made him dizzy, and he felt the taste of iron.

In a desperate move, he used his tail to stab the Hunter, or at least he had intended to, but his target had already jumped back, avoiding it. Shaking his head, he climbed once again on the walls, hoping that it had been enough for his adversary to keep him away. Or course, he was wrong.

Apparently tired of his little game of hide and seek, the alien had caught his tail, and using his sheer strength, had pulled him down, before turning on himself and sending Kane into a wall. That was enough to make him very, very angry. After all, he had done his best to avoid hurting the Hunter too much, making it clear that he wanted to be left alone, but apparently his foe hadn't understood, meaning it was time to take some more permanent measures.

As his instincts kicked in, he found himself running towards the humanoid at a speed that should have made him sick, but that strangely felt good to him. Of course, the Hunter crouched, prepared to take the blow, but instead of leaping on him, Kane chose to jump on the side, startling his opponent, as this time he attacked, and nothing could have stopped him. By the time he had finished, there were quite a few gashes on his adversary's skin, and a yellow, luminescent blood was making pools on the ground.

He was satisfied to see that the wounded humanoid was being more careful, and that he didn't look like he was going to die either. He didn't know how fast their kind healed, but it was nowhere near his own body's recovering speed. The wound he had on his shoulder was nearly healed by now, and it hadn't been very long since the cut had been made. Of course, while it hadn't been a minor wound, it hadn't been a serious one either.

He hoped that this time the Hunter would have enough, but he kind of doubted it. If what K'tyss and Stryss had told him was true, then he was facing an opponent who was going to be increasingly focused on taking him down, for the only reason that he would make a good trophy. While he could understand the principle of taking trophies on worthy opponents, he wished it could be closer to what humans did a few centuries ago. Like taking the weapon of a defeated adversary, instead of his head. The only thing was that he didn't have any weapon on him, meaning that the only trophies that could be taken from him would be pieces of his body.

As he was eyeing the Hunter, the alien roared, and, his blades drawn, closed the distance between them.

-Shi...

He started to swore, before his body reacted, making him dive to the side, avoiding a proper beheading.

-WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?! "he screamed, running to get to the closer wall.

**?POV**

He was ecstatic. He had been thinking he would be made to fight against brainless beasts, expecting it even. But THIS one, this one knew how to fight! It was obviously cleverer than most Hard Meats, and it seemed that it had at least some of their physical abilities. And to top it, it seemed determined to show him that it was not an easy prey, which was all the better.

So far, he had been having one of his best fights yet. Of course, the times he had been in Hard Meats' nests had been far more trying, but that was because they had vast numbers. Here he was fighting a one-on-one battle against a worthy opponent, and even if it didn't follow the Code of Honor, it had yet to breach it.

So he was enjoying his time. All the worries, the anger he had kept for _Him_ for his betrayal, all of it had faded to leave place to an adrenalin-filled euphoria. He didn't know how long he had been fighting, but he could have continued for hours. Right now, he was rushing to his foe, hoping to get its head.

-Shi...

At the last moment, the thing's body dove to the left, barely avoiding its decapitation. Of course, not a second later, he had aimed again, but a mere second was enough for a Hard Meat to get away.

-WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?!" the thing shouted.

That made him stop his attack immediately. He had been to Earth many times, and though humans were pathetically weak, he had found himself admiring some aspects of their culture. He had taken an interest in medieval cultures after a study he had made of the Japan society during medieval times. He had discovered that many human cultures had, at a time, had something similar to the Code of Honor, and some had had rather...interesting lives.

That was to say, he had often heard English when he had been hunting on Earth, and he had learned to recognize it's phrasing. Now, the question was, HOW did an experiment know English? Had it been an odd quirk of _Him_, that _he_ had taught the thing the human language? If so, then it didn't change the fact that the thing knew how to speak, meaning its intelligence had to be at least near human. Perhaps if he could find a way to communicate, the thing could help him? It didn't seem too pleased to be treated like it was.

As he was standing, wondering what he should be doing, the creature had climbed on the ceiling, and was observing him curiously. Finally, he reached his decision. He kept his blades out, as he wasn't about to take any risks with his life. However, he purposely adopted a non-aggressive stance, hoping that it would be enough to ease the mind of his foe. As the creature was looking at him curiously, he made the human gesture for peace, holding his hands high, palms up.

For what seemed like an eternity, the experiment didn't move, but then, slowly, carefully, and never stopping observing him, it started crawling down, until it finally stood on its two hind legs, facing him. Of course, it kept its distance, but that was understandable.

-What do you want? I thought you were trying to kill me?

Again, it spoke. Even if he couldn't understand what the thing was saying, it's tone clearly showed that it didn't trust him, and that the slightest mistake would be enough for the negotiations to end before they even begun.

Trying to remember what little he had learnt of English language, he awkwardly spoke:

-Me...Not...Enemy.

If it had been in better circumstances, he might have smiled at the face the creature made when it heard him speak.

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**I hope this was enough of a fight for you, as I wanted to impress the fact that the two characters are weary of each other, but each one with his own ideas about what to do. Kane doesn't really want to fight, as he still isn't comfortable with the idea of killing, while his adversary has no such qualms, but instead wants to "put an end to the creature's misery". **

**Now, I know this is a cliffhanger, and that you people are going to hate me for this, but next chapter is in two weeks, so hang on 'til then!**


	27. Chapter 27-Experiments

**Hello there! It's me again! Yes, I'm not dead, though I can't fault you to think so. SO, this chapter may or may not be to your liking, so please review, I'd like to know what you think about it!**

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26

Experiments

**Kane POV**

Things weren't looking good. Of course, he had thought the same thing a few hours earlier, when he had been made to fight the one that was now his friend/ally. Luckily, they had been able, after a little fight, to make a deal, both of them wanting nothing to do with _His_ experiments. It was funny, he thought, that both a Hunter and himself had a common goal, though, considering who they were against, it kinda made sense. Their target had violated the Hunter Code of Honor, or so his new friend had told him, making him an outcast in their society. And of course, _he_ had royally messed with K'tyss, Stryss and Kane's life, so they, too had a reason to want him dead.

So they had made a deal: they would help each other until _He_ was dead, and then they would go their separate ways. That deal had lasted around five minutes, the time it had taken for them to tell the sisters, who had been thoroughly pissed with Kane about his decision. From there, he had left them speak with the Hunter, sensing that if he so much than suggested anything, he would have a _very _bad time the next time he would see them.

The funny thing, though, was that they both had reluctantly agreed with Kane that they had little choice: allying themselves with the Hunter was their best chance to escape. Strangely, Stryss had seemed interested in learning more about the Hunters' culture, and their new friend had been all too eager to explain some things to her. If there was one thing Kane could say about him, was that he was at least willing to give them a chance, which, if he had understood what they had been told, would have been simply unthinkable for most of his kind, who would see them as abominations, especially K'tyss. That particular bit of information had earned them a long lecture from Stryss, who had pointed that neither herself, nor K'tyss had had a choice about what they were.

In the end, they had more or less accepted to consider their new ally a friend. He had finally asked how they should call him, since it seemed quite impolite to refer to him simply as "him", or "the Hunter". Their new friend had seemed surprised that they even had names, but once he had gotten over his surprise, he had told them that they should call him H'Chak-kta, which, if he was right, meant something along the lines of "the Merciful".

The only problem was that their host had seemingly disapproved of their actions, and had made it known by sending electric shocks to the two of them, effectively knocking them out. And now, he was back to where he was: lying on his back, restrained, and with a vicious looking Hunter preparing something he was quite certain he would not enjoy. After all, something involving a needle full of an unpleasant looking liquid was something he was not going to enjoy.

He only hoped he was wrong, but somehow, he felt his instincts were spot on.

_**His**_** POV**

Things hadn't gone as planned, which made him angry. Of course, at first, he had been satisfied with the fight between his prisoner and his last experiment. Number 27 was highly intelligent, and had understood quickly that if he wanted to win with minimal damage, he would have to rely on hit and run tactics to exhaust his foe, and then finish him. That was more than what half of his experiments had done, as they usually simply launched themselves on their prey , being too stupid to understand the most basic subtlety. The little prisoner had done well, too, but that was to be expected. After all, considering that only a third of the Hunters reached adulthood, and that under a very strict training regimen, meant that any adult Hunter should be a warrior that would easily hold his own against most threats.

However, he had been disappointed when the two of them had stopped fighting, and though he had marveled at the fact the two of them had somehow managed to communicate, he hadn't been pleased at all. They were supposed to fight to the death, not chat like old friends! He had decided to wait and see if they would not eventually resume their fighting, but after some time, he had had enough. He had punished the experiment, and sent the prisoner back to his cell.

Now, he was about to try and modify number 27. While his intelligence was remarkable, and something he wanted the hybrid to keep, it was too hindered by the useless human emotions and psychology. If he didn't act soon, then he wouldn't be able to make 27 kill anything, and he would have to dispose of it. Considering the experiment's potential, it would have been a waste, so he had prepared a few surprises for the now restrained hybrid.

With a grin, he turned to see the creature trying to break free of its restraints. Somehow, it amused him to see the helpless thing think it could possibly free itself. The restraints he used to keep his little experiments from escaping were always made with the strength of a full-grown Queen in mind, something most of the freaks he created couldn't even begin to emulate. However, 27, and the two females that had been with him, were able to display a strength which was around half or so the one a Queen would be able to use, something that comforted him in his idea that the three of them would be the start of the new species he wanted to create, with a few modifications of course.

He gripped the hand that had been trying to free itself from the shackles that held it, and forcefully pushed the needle inside the arm, pumping the yellowish liquid in it into the bloodstream. Luckily for him, he had discovered early in his researches a way to prevent his tools from being eaten away by the acid blood. All he had to do was use tools in a certain metal, and the acid didn't even start to attack it.

Now, it was the part he preferred. While he still enjoyed hunting, during his time as a scientist, he had developed a liking to things that ordinary people would find quite revolting, but for him, it was a good replacement for the adrenaline rush of a hunt. Typically, he just _loved_ to see his experiments suffer, to see their bodies jerk from the pain, to hear their screams, to feel their distress, their helplessness, and it was even better when said experiment was intelligent enough to understand what was happening to it. It brought something else in the mix, something that he loved more than anything else: a mix of despair, anger and hate. It was as close to a drug that something could be: he simply couldn't have enough of it, this sensation of absolute power over another living being, over a very _dangerous_ living being, who could only try to escape, all of its attempts completely vain, with both himself and the experiment knowing it.

With a nasty grin, he sat down, and prepared himself to assist to a good show. The mix he had just injected was a little surprise he had planned for some time, mixed with a few other things he had thought of on the spot.

**Kane POV**

The moment whatever was in the needle was injected to him, his body arched, his spine nearly snapping. During the last weeks, he had come to be familiar with different sorts of pain, but THIS...This was something else entirely. Never, in all his life, had he felt pain like this. His nerves were overwhelmed with the sudden suffering, and his body no longer responded to him, acting on its own instead. His fingers had taken a life on their own, each one of them acting independently from the others, his limbs were moving freely, and if the shackles holding him hadn't been padded, he would probably have lost his hands and feet, considering how much he was pushing against them. His brain barely noticed an annoying sound, a screeching that would have made his ears bleed in any other circumstances. It took him a while, but he finally noticed that the annoying noise was his screams.

_Why?Why?Why?_ he asked himself. He hadn't done anything to deserve so much suffering, had he? He had been a good boy, right? Good boys didn't suffer, right?

It wasn't his fault. It wasn't his _bloody_ fault that he was here. He was here because that FUCKER had decided it would be funny to mess with nature.

_I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!_

How long had it been since the pain had started? He didn't know, and frankly, he didn't care. All that he wanted was for it to stop. It had to stop, otherwise he would go insane. What was insane, anyway? The world was insane, if things like this could happen to normal people. So why should he try to be normal, anyway? Why would he not, simply, let go of his stupid human misconceptions of what was good and bad behind? For all the good it had done him to cling to his humanity...

_I'll kill him, I'll kill him, I'll kill him!_

His minds was filled with hatred. Hatred for those who made innocents like Stryss, K'tyss or himself go through Hell, hatred for those who only thought of their own personal gain, hatred for the idiots that shunned those who had avoided him all his life, deeming him repulsive, _different_.

As he was struggling to stay alive, his body functions growing increasingly high, he heard a few loud cracking sounds, just before his eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

**K'tyss POV**

She was worried. She couldn't feel Kane, and she was afraid of what that could mean, especially considering that no less than moments prior he had been in unimaginable pain. The only reason she believed her mate wasn't dead was because _He_ seemed to consider him interesting, thus making the probability of him killing Kane knowingly were slim. Unfortunately, that didn't mean he couldn't have accidently end his life during an experiment, as it had already happened before.

_Merciful, tell me he hasn't killed my mate!_

_...I cannot tell you that, as His behavior is an anomaly, even among our kind. I am sorry,_ came the voice of their newest ally, though she still didn't trust him. Though she was pleased that he seemed as worried as her, even if she didn't have a clue as to why.

Considering the fact the only previous experience she had with a Hunter had been unpleasant to say the least, it was only normal, that she kept her distances, though she was still willing to give him a chance, seeing how he had agreed to negotiate with them, something she would have deemed impossible if he had only a tenth of their warden's character.

_...You really care for him, don't you?_

The question was so strange it made her stop in her tracks.

_What?_ she asked, unsure of what she had just been asked.

_-You love him._

It wasn't a question this time, it was a simple observation. There was no underlying irony, no malice in these words. It was a clinical observation, something a logical mind could deduce after seeing enough signs.

_Yes, I do. I'd die for him if I had to. Why does it matter to you anyway?_

A long silence answered her question, and she was about to resume pacing when he answered.

_Well, I didn't think your kind was able to feel emotion. I have never once seen a Hard Meat display anything else than basic anger. It seems that you are different. You are more human, you can feel hatred, anger, but also compassion, and love. I must say that I did not expect something like that from you. It seems I was wrong when I assumed you would be mindless monsters._

_-Well, indeed. Not that we saw your kind any differently before, considering our previous experience._

_-I cannot fault you with that. Usually, we follow the Code, but sometimes, some of us go astray, and it is up to us to eliminate them before things go too far. In this case, we have failed so far, but I hope that by working with the three of you, we will be able to prevent any further horrors. What he is doing is wrong in so many ways that killing him wouldn't be enough to atone for his sins._

In the end, she spent the next hours speaking with H'Chak-kta, as it was the only way for her to remotely forget about her worries. After the discussion, she curled up in a ball, and went to sleep, praying that her mate would still be alive.

**Stryss POV**

While she was worried about Kane, she couldn't help but listen to the conversation between her sister and the Hunter. Worrying about her sister's mate was useless, considering that unless they managed to get out, there was nothing they could do, however, listening and learning about the Hunters' culture could prove useful in the future.

She was especially curious about their new friend, as he seemed quite different in his mindset than _Him_, and even had quite a distaste for the mad scientist, if his words were any indication. As a matter of fact, by listening carefully, she managed to piece together enough information to get an interest in the Hunter.

While he was by no means as innocent as Kane had been, he still had a slightly idealistic thought process, and his actions reflected that. After all, he had gone, _alone_ no less, to try and kill a Hunter that by his own words, "any sane person would avoid getting close to". In some ways, that reminded her of her sister's mate. They were simply too reckless for they own good. While Kane didn't mind putting himself in danger to save the people he loved, H'Chak-kta was prone to put himself in danger whenever he felt something was wrong, which had attracted him a lot of trouble during his time as a Hunter. Luckily for him, he apparently was skilled enough to back up his claims, and get himself out of the trouble he attracted. This time, though, he would need their help.

She couldn't help but chuckle at the thought process of their ally: it was surprisingly simple. Upholding the Code of Honor, as he called it, and if he happened to stumble on an injustice during his hunts, then he took the steps necessary to correct it. Steps that often included removing the source of the problem altogether.

_Perhaps_, she thought, _it would be interesting to have a real discussion with him_.

**Kane POV**

He wasn't sure how much time had passed since he had passed out, but at least now he was no longer in pain. His body was still aching, but it was nowhere near the level of pain he had felt earlier. However, what was worrying him was not the pain, or rather, the lack of pain, it was the fact that something felt different. He didn't know how to describe it, but his body didn't feel the same, and even worse, he felt that his mind was not acting how it was used to. He was still himself, but there was a part of his thought process that wasn't the same as before. Unfortunately, he couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was, so until he could figure it out, he couldn't really do anything about it.

Suddenly, he felt a hand slap him, and he reflexively tried to stab whoever it belonged to with his tail. An appreciative growl told him that _He_-it could only be him-, was pleased by his reaction. He snarled, trying to break free, with only one thing in his mind: killing _Him_.

_Eh? When did I start wanting to kill people simply because I hated them?_

_**Doesn't matter, kill him! He is a threat, we will kill him before he kills us!**_

_?What the hell?_

_**Idiot! Kill, we are born for that purpose! Killing, ripping apart, erasing whoever is in our path, that is how we should live!**_

Kane groaned. This inner voice, or whatever it was, had some unpleasant tendencies, but what worried him the most was that for a moment, he had seriously considered listening to it. After all, who was to say that killing to protect himself was bad? And if he had killed while he was still on Earth, he would have helped mankind by removing the idiots that called themselves students. Yes, killing was good...But he had to set limits. He didn't want to become a mindless monster, who killed routinely, or for no reason at all, or even simply because he was in the mood for it.

Another slap on his head, and his vision went dark. This time, there wasn't any voice, there wasn't any reasoning, there was only pure, primal rage and anger. With a mighty screech, he pulled on his restraints, not even noticing that this time, he had torn them apart with ease. He was beyond rational thoughts, he was beyond any kind of reasoning. He would only be able to calm himself when he would have killed every living being around him. Shaking his limbs free, he turned to face a surprised scientist, and used his tail to stab him, only to have it pierce the wall, the metal screeching in protest.

His target had already made it to the other side of the room, and with another screech, he leapt on him. This time, his speed was so great that not even his adversary, who had been trained nearly since his birth, who had fought against hundreds of monsters and won, who had centuries of experience, managed to get away. The last thing he would ever see was the mouth of the monster he had created himself, just before it ripped off his eyes. An roar of pain echoed through the room, and in his pain-fuelled anger, the scientist shook himself free, sending Kane flying against the wall. Now, a pure blood Warrior would have easily positioned itself so that it would land without a scratch, but as Kane wasn't, he did something else, much more dangerous: using his momentum, he turned on himself, so that his hind legs would be the ones to impact.

As soon as he touched the metallic wall, he added the strength of the impact to the one of his legs, and propelled himself through the room, becoming a dark blur. His foe had his blades out, and while he had lost his eyes, he had somehow managed to face the direction he was coming from, and using only his hearing to time his counterattack, he aimed them at Kane.

With only his instincts dictating his actions, and in a berserk rage after having tasted blood, the hybrid didn't even try to avoid them, and the sharp metal dug deeply in his sides, but not before his tail pierced his tormentor's chest, and his claws ripped off the head of the one who had thought he could create a monster more dangerous than the pure Hard Meats.

He had succeeded.

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**Yeah, I know, I bet some of you had imagined something like the four of our heroes against Him, but even considering His skills, it may have been a bit too much. Keep reading though, there should be a few more chapters before the end of the story (around two or three, I'd say. AND I plan to write an epilogue, though it may take longer than an ordinary chapter, don't want to have a half-assed ending, do we?)  
**

**Anyway, as I said before, please review and offer your opinion on this chapter, and see you in two weeks!**


	28. Chapter 28-Breaking free

**Heeeellloooo!Yes, I'm not dead, nor have I abandoned this story! I mean, seriously, abandon it when there are only a few chapters left? No way! Anyway, I've been pretty busy IRL, between my job, a report that I STILL haven't finished (oh joy!), and my upcoming exams, so I haven't uploaded any new chapters until now, sorry. To apologize, this chapter is longer than the last few, so hopefully I can avoid getting burnt at the stake, again.**

**Well, just a few words before I leave you with this chapter: as I said, there are only a few chapters left, I'd say between two and four, and I'm counting the epilogue. So, I hope this chapter'll be interesting for you!**

**Now, Enjoy!**

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27

Breaking free

**K'tyss POV**

She was restless, trying to break free of her restraints. She was only inches away from going insane, and the fact that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break the chains restraining her didn't help. She had been sleeping, hoping, _praying_ that everything would be okay, for Kane, for her sister, and for herself. Apparently, whatever God governed her fate hadn't been satisfied.

She had awoken with a feeling of dread, a feeling of loss, with a gaping hole in her heart, and she had instinctively known that something had gone horribly wrong for Kane. Not only had she not been able to speak to him, but it was as if he wasn't there anymore, as if he had been ...No, that was impossible! She KNEW he was alive! But then, why did she feel as if someone had just torn open her chest to rip her beating heart out?

Worse, Stryss too was feeling something similar, though on a lesser level, probably because it wasn't _her_ mate that was possibly dead. That was not to say that she wasn't worried, last time she had talked to her sister, she was trying to break free of her restraints too, though she wasn't as frantic as K'tyss was.

The growl that had been continuously reverberating around her cell for the last hour grew into a very angry screech, as she tried, for the twentieth time, to break her restraints.

_Kane! KANE! KAANNNEE!_

The only answer she got was silence.

_No, it's impossible. Impossible. When I'll get out, I'll find him sleeping in his cell. I'll yell at him, and then I'll free him, Stryss, and we'll kill HIM, and then we'll be free._

Deep in her thoughts, she suddenly stopped, and with an angry screech, she reached for the muzzle she had on her face.

_I'm an idiot! Why didn't I think of this earlier?!_

Angry at herself for not thinking about the solution she had come up with a little eariler, she spat acid on her muzzle, which quickly dissolved, and then on the handcuffs and on her chains. In a matter of seconds, she was free. However, she didn't rush for the door, as she was intelligent enough to understand that _He_ was likely to have noticed of the fact she was no longer restrained, and she didn't put it past _Him_ to have trapped the door with something like an electric current that would shock her as soon as she touched it.

Instead, she cautiously approached the suspicious door, and, using her superior senses, located the part that would power it, and spat once again acid on it. The corrosive substance quickly ate at it, and with a few sounds of dying electric components, the door opened.

_Now, before looking for Kane, free Stryss and the Hunter. I need to make sure we make it this time. Hang on, Kane, I'm coming for you._

**Stryss POV**

After K'tyss had stopped talking to their new ally, probably to sleep a little, she had decided that it would be interesting to ask a few things to him, and she had been the one to carry on the conversation. Interestingly, H'Chak-kta seemed a little more open with her, and when she had asked why, he had simply told her it had something to do with her sister having some Hunter blood in her, and had quickly change topics.

In the end, they had both enjoyed the conversation, if the pleased tone of the Hunter was any indication, though she could have been wrong. However, what had surprised her the most was that unlike what she had expected from him, he had been polite, if only a little cold at first, and had been quite gentle when touching certain sensitive subjects. And if what she had been able to piece together bout their kind was true, then he was a lot more open that most Hunters. In fact, it was funny how much like a Hunter Kane he sounded. They both were extremely polite, considerate, and while H'Chak-kta was nowhere near as reluctant as Kane when it came down to killing, he still disliked killing a harmless prey. In fact, had it not been for his race deep tradition of hunting, he would probably have been happy with being a gladiator, at least in an arena, your opponents were armed, aware of the fact that if they didn't kill you, it would be the other way around.

However, now that the Hunter had decided to get some rest, she was back to square one, worrying about her sister's mate. She was currently trying to get rid of the chains that kept her against the wall of her cell, to no avail. She couldn't even move her head, and the fact that she was suspended against a wall made it impossible for her to even begin wrestling her hands out of her restraints.

_Damn these things! Why can't I break them!_

Of course, that was the gist of her thoughts, along with a few things that would have made most mature audiences faint, by the sheer creativity and vulgarity of her vocabulary.

However, she was brought back to reality by the sound of the door opening. Immediately, she focused her attention on the person who had entered, prepared to do whatever it would take to anger _Him_, only to blink at the sight of her sister.

_K'tyss? How..._

_How did I free myself? I simply melted the restraints, by that's not what's important. Do you sense Kane?_

She bit her lip. She didn't sense him anymore, but she knew her sister would never admit her mate was dead, unless she had seen his corpse herself.

_I don't. K'tyss...I know you don't want to believe it, but it can only mean one thing, you know that._

_No! I REFUSE to believe that! I KNOW he is alive, even if for some reason we can't sense him! Now, come with me, we're going to fetch H'Chak-kta. And after that, _He_ is going to get what he deserves. We'll look for Kane later, I'm sure he can handle himself just fine._

At that moment, the lights flickered, before completely stopping, leaving only a few emergency lightings. Of course, unlike humans, the two sisters could see in the dark extremely well, but it was the fact that the lights had suddenly stopped that had surprised them.

_Any idea of why this is happening? _K'tyss asked, while melting her sister's restraints.

_No, but I have a bad feeling about this._

**H'Chak-kta POV**

He was sitting perfectly still in the middle of his holding cell. His toned body, which would have put many human athletes to shame, wasn't moving an inch, save for the deep, steady breaths he was regularly taking. It was one of the most basic ways of relaxing he knew, yet it was surprisingly effective. He had taken to do it, since he wasn't sleepy, and since the two sisters had stopped talking with him, he didn't have anything better to do. That is, until most of the lights went out.

Not panicking, as it could had him killed, he slowly studied his surroundings, calmly, before slowly getting up, as to not mistreat his body, who had been still for quite long. Of course, considering his kind's anatomy, the chances of straining a muscle or suffering any kind of pain from that were ridiculously low, but one of the first lessons the Unblooded were taught was to never take chances. It was better to not get used to take chances, and stay alive, than to carelessly take them, and then get yourself killed. It was all a question of habits: the sooner you got the good ones, and discarded the bad ones, the less chances of slipping later.

He had a few ideas as to why the lights had went out, but for now, he lacked information to narrow the possibilities down. Carefully, he prepared his wrists blades. If it was another one of _His _tests, it was better not to take any risks. For all he knew, the scientist could have decided to test one of his "failed" subjects against him in retaliation for earlier, when he had made friends with _His_ other experiments.

He had to say, he hadn't expected them to hold a conversation for more than a few minutes, less inquire about his kind. He had taken them for simple creatures, with near-human intelligence, but he had had to quickly reevaluate his opinion, as the two sisters had both proven extremely bright. Of course, they had nowhere his kind's technology, but their learning and deducting skills had astonished him. The younger one, who he had been wary of, considering that she had some of their kind's blood in her, something he had been conditioned to consider an abomination, had surprised him by her constant worrying about the one he had fought against. Apparently, he was her mate, and her love for him was quite obvious, since every now and then, she asked him what could have happened to him. Now, he wasn't the romantic himself, his kind had no use for that kind of feelings, but somewhere deep inside of him, he felt a small pang of jealousy, and for a split second, he had wondered if his kind hadn't missed something. To them, females were precious, true, but were considering like trophies, and only the most worthy Hunters could have their way with them, regardless of their feelings on the matter. Suffice to say, the Hunter society had little regard for feelings, focusing instead of efficiency, in everything, to better the race, their skills, and all that for the Hunt.

Anyway, he had appreciated the older sister. She seemed a lot more level-headed, and while she too worried about his adversary, Kane if he remembered well, she had been a very pleasant source of distraction. She had been genuinely interested in his tales, and had asked a few very interesting questions. In fact, had she not been completely unaware of his kind's society and ways, he would have been sure that she was trying to demolish his respect for their ways. She had easily pointed that while hunting was good, it was sometimes more interesting to have a real fight, with a foe ready for you, than simply striking it in the back. She had also pointed that while having trophies was an interesting custom, it lost a lot of meaning when you used them for trade, which often happened between Hunters. After all, after a few trades, the trophy ended with someone who had no clue about it's owner's story, or the story behind his/her death, and she had pointed it seemed disrespectful to give away what you had taken from a mighty foe, since the only one to have rights on it and it story was the one to have taken it originally.

In the end, he had been forced to admit that what she said had some sense, and he had started to wonder why nobody had ever thought about it before. He had reached an unpleasant conclusion: nobody thought for themselves, they merely did what he did, upholding the Code, hunting, but never once thinking about the very meaning of their traditions, not even once thinking about the need to rethink them. The conclusion was simple, the Hunter society was too stuck in its traditions to even consider changing them.

Snapping back to reality, he berated himself for allowing himself to get distracted. Luckily for him, in the time he had been lost in thought, nothing had entered his cell to kill him. So, he waited, straining his senses to get whatever sign of a potential threat he could get.

For a while, there was nothing, but then he heard a faint clicking, and he quickly fell into a fighting stance. He knew that sound, he had heard it more than often, and it meant that Hard Meats were close, and judging by the faint noise, they were getting closer.

He was ready for what was coming, and when the door opened, he prepared his blades, glancing at the moving shadows. However, before he could do anything, he heard a familiar voice.

_Don't! It's us! We came to get you before we go looking for _Him_!_

_You are...Stryss, right? Do you know what happened?_

The alien hissed, and he instinctively crouched further, ready to dodge a blow, only to get face-to-face with a human female. On second sight, it was the face of a human female, and the body structure definitely had something human, but there was no mistaking the dark skeleton that covered most of her body. He had to admit, since his kind and humans had the same type of morphology, that she looked good. Well, for a human.

_No, but we think it has something to do with Kane. The lights went off only a few minutes after we stopped being able to sense him._

_Makes sense. Can we go now? I'd rather not wait for _Him_ to drop on us. _

The hybrid snorted.

_Me neither. Can you follow us? We should be able to clear the path, but we have no idea as to where we should go. Do you have any idea about the structure of this building?_

_Don't know, I'll tell you when I'll have seen what it looks like._

Following the sisters, he faded into the corridor, the three of them becoming nothing more than shadows.

**K'tyss POV**

She was sick with worry, and it was taking her all her self-control not to simply run ahead looking for her mate. Oh, if that...BASTARD had done anything to him, she would make sure that he'd pay dearly. Kane had suffered enough already, and while she was sure that if he knew her thoughts, he would say something along the lines of "But you've suffered far more than me, so it's no big deal!", she wasn't about to let it slide like this. Besides, she had her own bad memories with _Him_, so it was all the more reason to make that monster suffer. Not too long, of course, since the longer he was alive, the more there was a chance of him escaping. No, to make sure he wouldn't escape, she would rip his limbs off, that should be enough to seriously hinder his moves.

It had been half an hour now that they had freed H'Chak-kta, and while he had been unable to tell them exactly where to go, the building's structure was familiar enough to him to have an idea as to where they should be going. What was worrying, though, was that the lights hadn't come back. If it had been a simple failure, _He_ would have made sure that it was fixed now, so that left the possibility that _He_ was merely toying with them. Considering his past behavior, it wasn't that unbelievable.

_Now, turn right! The lab should be around here!_

With a mental nod, she turned, carefully crawling on the ceiling, Stryss on the wall on her left, while the Hunter was a few steps behind. Now, ordinarily that would have made him a coward, but considering how far the two sisters were able to leap if they wanted to attack, it didn't really matter that he was in front with them or merely a little behind.

They finally reached a door, and they immediately stopped. The door had been completely torn, thrown open, and the walls were distorted, as if something huge had gone through.

With a look at each other, the three members of the unlikely alliance advanced, K'tyss carefully glancing inside the room to make sure that whatever had blasted the door open wasn't there anymore. As it appear, it wasn't, but she spotted something extremely interesting on the ground.

_Ha! _He_'s dead!_

_You're kidding!_

_Impossible!_

The other two quickly looked, and an evil grin appeared on their faces. Well, on Stryss's face, she couldn't be sure for the Hunter.

_Well, looks like we won't have our little fun with him..._

_Shame, though. I would have loved to uphold the Code by killing him. The fact that I owed him one would have been icing on the cake,_ the Hunter muttered.

The two sisters grinned. Maybe there was some hope for the idiotic follower of the thrice damned Code. However, their mirth at their tormentor's demise only lasted so much, as they quickly realized something: whatever had killed the scientist was strong enough to take a very experienced Hunter out, and to blast a metallic door that was at least four inches thick open, and it was free. Considering the fact that most of the man's creations outside of the ones inside the room and Kane, whose whereabouts were unknown, were extremely aggressive, that didn't bode well for the following steps of their plan.

However, before they could formulate an alternative one, they heard loud steps coming their way. Without so much of a look to each other, Stryss and her went to see what it was, while H'Chak-kta was picking a few weapons from a desk on the side of the room, before following them.

_Kane, I really hope you'll be fine a little longer, please._

The sound of steps were becoming louder and louder, and suddenly, the two sisters stopped, knowing that whatever was making the noise was around next corner.

Slowly, almost lazily, something appeared, and when she finally saw enough to understand what she was seeing, she let out a faint screech of shock. It was Kane, but at the same time, it was not. First of all, he was now a lot taller than before, meaning he stood at around eight feet tall. He was also more muscular, though by human standards he would still be considered thin, but with their kind's build, that meant he had gained a lot of muscles. On his back, where the six spikes were before, were now, instead, six thick, long appendages, each one finished by a very sharp looking blade. Finally, instead of a tail, he now had two, well one that divided into two different appendages that could act separately. However, what shocked her the most was not the physical changes, but the fact that when he turned to look at them, he had a feral, almost crazy look in his eyes.

_Kane?! _she blurted out, unable to believe the look in her mate's eyes.

With a screech, the now-crazy Kane lunged for her, and she avoided being crushed against the ceiling by leaping back, only to see one of her mate's new appendages coming straight for her. Too shocked to avoid it, she was bemused to see a shadow pushing her out of the way, just before a splash of fluorescent blood landed of her face. H'Chak-kta had pushed her before she got hit, and though he had managed to avoid most of the hit, he still had a nasty cut on his left side.

_What are you doing?! Do you want to be killed? Move!_

_But..._

_Move!_

As another one of the appendages shot in her direction she leapt back, and began running, with Stryss right behind her, and H'Chak-kta following closely. Their luck was short-lived, though, as Kane started pursuing them, and he was dreadfully fast, even for someone as big as he now was.

Desperately running, they only managed to keep their little lead by luck, as Kane seemed to constantly forget about his new size, and kept bumping into obstacles. His bigger frame was as much a blessing as a curse, since it allowed them to keep their lead, but should he get close enough, he would be able to crush them before they were able to touch him. Not that she even thought of hurting him.

When she had recovered enough from her shock, she had tried to calm him, but it was as if there was a wall between them, a wall that stopped anything that she could send him. She had tried everything she could think of, calling to his reason, sending him calming thoughts, calling to him, but everything had been stopped by whatever blocked his mind from any external stimuli.

_So, what do we do now?! _grunted H'Chak-kta. The Hunter was still bleeding, but he had managed to somehow keep the cut minimal, though he was still losing blood, the liquid marking their path for Kane, not that he needed it, considering that he was only a few feet behind them.

_K'tyss..._ Stryss started, intent on making her sister understand that it was her mate's life or theirs.

_No! I refuse to harm him! It's not his fault he's like this!_

_His fault or not, we'll have to face him anyway! And while I do not know him, I highly doubt he would enjoy knowing he killed the two of you! It may be my upbringing making me say this, but I think he deserve to have an honorable death, since it seems he will not be able to have an honorable life! As soon as we find a room big enough, I'm facing him! And I strongly hope you'll help me!_ growled the Hunter, who was apparently struggling to keep their pace, as the slow but steady loss of blood seemed to affect him.

Stryss nodded, and for a split second, K'tyss thought about beheading her, but when a screech indicating that Kane was not far behind them was heard, she understood that it was either that or being killed. Considering the fact that her mate was not far behind them, and did not look interested in reasoning at all, then all she could do was end his life.

Tears started to leak from her eyes. Life was unfair. Why did she have to lose him? Why did he have to suffer? Why couldn't they simply be together? She was tired. She was tired of fleeing constantly, being only with her sister. She wanted to have a simple life with her mate, and be happy. Why couldn't it be that simple?

**H'Chak-kta POV**

To say he was pissed was a gross understatement. He was fuming. Of course, given his situation, a normal person would be too afraid to even think of anything else than fleeing, but he was no normal person, and he was used to things like this. So, as he ran, he nurtured his anger, all the while keeping carefully controlled. That allowed him to lessen the pain of the wound on his side, and what was left, well...He could manage.

Now, he was angry at the youngest sister, for even thinking of reasoning with the monster tailing them, as no matter how much she loved him, and him her, there was no way that they would be able to calm the rabid beast going after them. He was angry at the older sister, for that he knew she agreed with the youngest hybrid, and he expected her to know better. And he was angry at himself, for getting so easily wounded. It wasn't very deep, but it still made him lose a lot of blood, and while he was a lot more resistant to blood loss than humans, there was still a point where it would become dangerous for him to move. Of course, he should also be angry at the monster behind him, but it was not his fault that he was like this, as he knew full well how a few well-prepared things could change even the kindest person into a berserk monster.

Now, as he was running, he grinned, recognizing the familiar corridors, and he mentally directed the sisters towards the room where he had had his first fight with the man that had become the monster tailing them. He would make sure that he would have an honorable death, for that even if he didn't know him well, based on his experience with him and what the sisters had told him, he was a good man, and deserved to die as an honorable adversary. The weapons he had hastily taken earlier would help him a lot, since if he had had only his wrist blades, then it would have been difficult, even with the sisters' help, to kill what had been a very good adversary.

As they rushed inside the room, he turned on himself, lowering his body in a fighting stance. Judging by what he heard, the two sisters did the same, but he was willing to bet they were nowhere near as determined to end this than him. Who could blame them? In his culture, the young were not close to anyone apart from their mother, and as soon as they were old enough, they were taken and trained into warriors. That didn't help forming family bonds, and made the Hunters naturally uncaring. Though he would be the first to acknowledge that he respected the man he had fought earlier.

_What are we going to do?_ the older sister asked.

_What we must to end his misery. I'm sure he would want the two of you to live instead of dying while trying to convince him. Now, if you can, try to distract him, it will be easier and less painful if I can get a clear shot._

While explaining his plan, he had taken the spear he had picked up, and had deployed it, the deadly instrument gleaming in the dark, as the light caressed it, making it look like a demonic weapon.

_I will try to pierce his head with this, it will allow him a quick death. With some luck, he'll be dead before knowing it. Now, I know you don't want to kill him, but trust me, I've taken a quick look on _His_ notes, and what he gave to your friend has made these changes irreversible._

_What did he do?!_

_Well, to sum up, apart from changing him, it made him much more susceptible to his instincts, meaning that he must have gone on a rampage, and doesn't recognize you._

Well, technically, it was true, but the part about him not being able to recognize them was not, but it would not do them any good if they were unable to harm him. If the need came, then he would assume the consequences of his lie, and if he had to die for that, so be it, but he would ask the two sisters to wait at least until he had made sure the facility was destroyed.

However, he didn't have more time to think, as the entrance to the room was blasted open by an enraged monster, the appendages on his back moving with savage grace, and his tails slowly following him. He had to say, the sight was impressive, even for someone with as much fighting experience as him.

With a snarl, the monster went to rip him to shreds, by he easily dodged. As he expected, the appendages shot in his direction to pierce him, but they were met by the two sisters who deflected them.

_Hurry! I don't know how long we'll be able to hold him! _shouted the older one. He had to say, she was courageous indeed, as that declaration alone could easily mean the end of her relationship with her sister.

With a quick nod, he ran to where he would be able to aim for the head of his foe, and when he was sure of his shot, thrust the spear forward. Unfortunately for him, his target had been able to move slightly to the left, and the spear simply pierced his cheek. With an angry screech, he was backhanded into the nearest wall, the metal distorting under the strength of the impact, and he was sure a few of his ribs were broken.

With a grunt, he got up. For a human, this would have easily knocked them out, but for someone like him, it was nearly an everyday occurrence, so it didn't hurt that much. Seeing as the two sisters were having trouble keeping the appendages at bay, he went for the kill, as his adversary had returned his attention to the hybrids after receiving a nasty cut from the oldest one.

With a mighty roar, he thrust the spear deep into his target's neck, the head being too high to target. The metal tore through the hard exoskeleton, resurfacing on the other side, and a gush of dark blood splattered everywhere. Luckily, he managed to avoid it all.

The monster let out a screech of pure anger and pain, and before he could do anything, he was swept in the nearby wall once again, though this time his right arm was broken, and his body too damaged to get up again. Luckily for him, it appeared it was unnecessary, as his target had stopped attacking, and was trying to extract the spear from its neck, while its blood was falling on the ground in a dark red stream, and before long, it collapsed, though it finally managed to get the metal stick out.

Now, it simply lay there, apparently too weakened by the blood loss to move, but he knew that it wouldn't be long before it recuperated from its wounds. It was obvious its physical abilities and regenerative ones were far better than what they had been during their last spar. Unfortunately, he himself couldn't move, so it would be up to the other two to kill it.

_What are you doing?! Hurry up and end him!_ he shouted, angry that his two newfound allies weren't moving.

The youngest of the two shot him a glare filled with pure contempt, before tentatively advancing towards the monster that had been her mate.

_Are you crazy, woman?! Get away from him!_

A soft hand suddenly lifted him up, and he found himself standing besides the oldest of the two sisters.

_Let her do this. She has the right to try to get him back before she kills him._

_Fools. Don't you see he is too far gone for that? There is no way she will be able to make him see reason!_

**K'tyss POV**

She watched Kane, the man she loved, as he tried getting up, his gigantic form overwhelming everything else. Even though he had become nothing more than a mindless beast, she _knew_ her mate was there, somewhere in this beast that had tried to kill her, her sister, and the Hunter. In fact, she was fairly sure that unlike what H'Chak-kta was thinking, that it wasn't a mindless beast, but rather something like a wild animal, scared and acting on instinct. She didn't know what had been done to him, but seeing how he had acted, she was ready to bet it had something to do with his instincts. And what the Hunter had told her was only comforting her in her idea.

Bracing herself, she finally entered his personal space, which elicited a surprising response from the wounded hybrid: instead of attacking her, he simply stared at her, blankly, for a few seconds, before pouncing on her.

_K'tyss! _ Stryss cried, looking torn between keeping helping the Hunter to stand, or come and help her sister.

_Don't move!_ she shouted, as she could feel that the grip her mate was holding her in wasn't threatening, yet she couldn't quite understand his actions.

Crazed eyes looked at her, eyes that once held all his love for her, and now, now they were glazed over, burning with what looked like...need?

_...leave...me..._

_Eh?_

_...n't...leave...me..._

_What?_

_...need...you..._

_Kane?_

_I need you!_

_Kane? Is it you?_ she asked, overjoyed that her mate had somehow managed to get his act together.

Slowly, the appendages on his back crawled around her, surrounding her, holding her in a tight embrace.

_Mine. You're mine._

_Kane?_ she asked, confused.

_You're mine! I won't let them have you! _ Kane snarled.

_Them? Kane, what do you mean?_

The hybrid slowly pointed towards the staggering forms of the Hunter and Stryss, who looked at her with an interrogative quirk of brow. Apparently, their little discussion wasn't broadcasted to them.

_Kane, she's my sister! And H'Chak-kta helped us!_

_You're mine. Mine. Mine. I have to erase them so that you won't leave me. Mine. I'll die if you leave me._

There was an immense despair contained in his mental voice, as if the mere idea of being separated of her was enough to make him lose all will to live. That was when she understood: whatever had happened to him had brought forth his worst fear, and that was being alone. Now that he could only be with her sister and herself, he was afraid that his new form would disgust them, and that they'd...no, that SHE would leave him. And the only way he had found to keep her to himself was to make sure she didn't have anybody else to go to.

With a smile, she flicked his forehead.

_Idiot. As if I'd leave you to anyone. Of course I won't leave you. But you can't hurt Stryss or H'Chak-kta, understood?_

_You won't leave me? You're sure? _ he asked, his tone pleading, as if he couldn't believe her.

_Of course not. As long as I live, I'm yours, and you're mine. So no lusting after human girls, understood?_

Kane snorted.

_As if I'd be interested in pathetic empty-headed teenage humans. All I want is you. I'll never let you go._

With that, he gently put his head on her shoulder, and inhaled deeply ,content with the sweet scent of her hair.

_How long has it been since I've been waiting to smell this? How long have I waited for this?_ he sighed.

For her part, K'tyss was becoming a little embarrassed. Not that she minded his actions, but with everything that had been happening so far, her mind wasn't ready to take such a drastic turn and go down the gutter already. And anyway, now _really_ wasn't the time to think about things like this.

_Kane?_

_Yeah?_

_Can you get up? We need to plan what we're going to do now. And I think H'Chak-kta needs some medical attention._

As if to confirm her words, the Hunter started falling off her sister's shoulder, the blood loss becoming too much for even him to handle. Luckily, Stryss, who had noticed, carefully laid him down.

K'tyss was at her side in an instant, and Kane followed her, though his body didn't move nearly as fast as he would have liked it to. Stryss simply shot him a glance, and seeing that he wasn't a threat anymore, concentrated on the wounded Hunter.

**Stryss POV**

As K'tyss had apparently nothing to fear from Kane, unlike what she had been thinking, Stryss was busy supporting H'Chak-kta, who was having more and more trouble standing by the second. Not that it was surprising, considering how much blood he had lost. Even someone like him could suffer from blood loss, it simply took longer than for normal people.

_The idiot..._he muttered, half-conscious._ She's going to be killed._

_Silence, you moron! You'd do better to concentrate on staying conscious!_ she hissed, a little worried about him.

And it was true, she was worried for the Hunter. He had taken a blow for her sister, when there was no need to, and that had not gone unnoticed. She had also noticed how he had made sure that they were never too close to Kane when they had been fighting him, attacking him whenever the hybrid seemed ready to hurt her sister or herself.

_I'm...trying, but...too...tired. Cold..._he muttered, just before going limp.

_Hey, stop playing games! Hey, HEY!_ she said, trying to get a reaction out of him, but to no avail.

Hearing footsteps, she looked over her shoulder, and saw K'tyss coming to her, apparently worried about the Hunter, too, while Kane was following like he could behind her. He had been stabbed in the neck not long before, after all. Luckily, he no longer had the glazed look he had earlier, and was instead porting instead a regretful face, his eyes locked on the limp form of the Hunter.

Deciding it was better to act quickly, she carefully laid him down, making sure to hold the wound pressed, hoping to slow the blood loss. Luckily, as he was quite big, H'Chak-kta had a slower heartbeat than normal, which no doubt had helped him in staying conscious for so long.

_Kane, _she called, not even turning, by fear of missing a sign, anything, that could tell her what to do,_ do you know where He kept his medical supplies?_

_Unfortunately not, but I think they shouldn't be kept too far from the room his corpse was in. I mean, he had to keep some close in case some of his experiments went wild, right?_

_Yeah, I thought that much, but I don't know if we can move him, it might worsen his condition_, she acknowledged.

_Stay here, I'm going to grab them, I won't be long. K'tyss, stay with her, she might need your help, _Kane said, while getting on all fours and darting inside the labyrinth of corridors.

_I don't know if it'll be enough, Sis. He's lost a lot of blood, and unless we manage to somehow stop the blood loss...In a way, it reminds me of when Kane was stabbed..._K'tyss said, trying to figure out a way to help her sister.

Unbeknownst to her, Stryss had gone still, a very risky idea having just popped up in her head. If they had been able to help Kane by spitting resin on his wound, perhaps they could do it for H'Chak-kta? It ought to be tried, after all, it wasn't as if they had much time...

So she turned, and delicately opened her mouth...

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**Now, I won't try to say when I'll be able to upload anything else, but be sure that as soon as the chapters'll be finished, they'll be uploaded!  
**

**As usual, please review, and as I said, if you find any mistakes, please point them, I'll correct them!**


	29. Chapter 29-Changed

**Helllooo! No, I'm not dead! I have been real busy, so I apologize for the late chapter! I am not entirely satisfied with it, but I couldn't manage anything better, so I hope it will be good enough for you.**

**So, a I said previously, this will be the last chapter before the epilogue. Don't worry, I don't plan on making a short epilogue, so it should be longer than my previous chapter (I'll try something like minimum 10 pages), but it will all depend on how well I can write down everything I wanted for the epilogue (and I have a lot, don't worry).**

**So, here comes the chapter, enjoy!**

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28

Changed

**Kane POV**

As he was frantically running down the corridors, heading for the room where he supposed some medical supplies were stored, he couldn't help but feel guilty. He had let his own insecurities and instincts control him, and he had very nearly killed both Stryss and H'Chak-kta. He had no doubt that K'tyss would have been devastated by the death of the former, and she would probably have felt some grief for the Hunter, too, though much less. The funny thing, he mused, was how the older hybrid had been looking at H'Chak-kta. It was as if she felt some affection for him, but Kane couldn't bring himself as to understand how and why she would feel something for him. It wasn't as if they had known each other for long, after all.

As he reached the room where His corpse was still laying, he pushed these thoughts aside. After all, if he wanted to find the supplies quickly, he would need to be focused on his task, not brooding or wondering.

**Stryss POV**

As she carefully spit resin on the Hunter's wounds, she couldn't help but worry about the possibility that it wouldn't work, or that it's composition would be toxic for him. Luckily, the resin solidified on him without visible consequences, making her relax slightly. At least his body hadn't rejected it. She watched as H'Chak-kta's breathing became more peaceful. It seemed that stopping the blood loss had allowed his organism to focus its remaining energy in keeping him alive, which was a good thing, considering that for now, they had no idea as to what they could do to help him recover.

Perhaps she should ask Kane, he may have learnt a few things about treating humans, and all in all, a Hunter was kind of a oversized human, after all. Her sister and herself were useless with this kind of thing, though, as their knowledge of medical treatment was along the lines of "stop the blood loss, wait for a while to recover". In cases like this, she didn't know what to do, and that was driving her mad. Why did she have to be so utterly useless when it mattered? She was supposed to be the Big Sister in the group, and though she had a feeling H'Chak-kta would deny being a part of it, she still saw him as a part of their lovely collection of experiments.

What had surprised her was how fast she had come to consider him a member of their rather dysfunctional family. Since they had linked him to them to allow the mental discussions, she had changed her view of him, changing it from that of a monster, to something along the line of a dignified fighter. She wasn't stupid enough to believe all Hunters were downright evil, but even when they weren't like _Him_, they still tracked and killed her kind for fun. Well, it was more or less the same relation between the pure breeds of her species and humans, because she knew that she wouldn't want to have something growing inside her and then get born by destroying her insides. However, at least in their case there was no bad intent behind their behavior, it was just a necessity to survive.

She was brought back to reality by a frantic Kane, using his hands and tentacle-like appendages to carry several things, the most noticeable being a pitch-black piece of cloth wrapped around something.

_Sorry, I did as fast as I could. I see you stopped the blood loss, that was a good idea._

She immediately felt a little better, knowing that the one with the most medical knowledge around approved of her actions. She observed him as he bent down to check on H'Chak-kta and frowned.

_Is something wrong? _she asked, instantly worried again.

_-Well, I don't know the Hunters' physiology, but I think his heartbeats are a little too slow, and his body heat is a little low. I think the blood loss has weakened him, and he needs something to give him back the energy his body is losing by maintaining him alive and producing new blood. Unfortunately, there is nothing for that in what I found, and the only thing I can think of that would hold enough nutrients to be of use is the jelly you gave me. So I'm going to inject him with this-_ he showed her a needle with a bluish liquid in it-_ I think it's a stabilizer, and then you'll have to give him the jelly._

She hesitantly nodded, not too sure about the procedure but believing him. After the injection was made, she hesitantly drew the Hunter closer, locking her lips on his, though his mandibles made the task a little harder than what she had thought.

**Kane POV**

He watched as Stryss seemingly kissed the Hunter, giving him the nutrient jelly. As he observed the scene, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

_It wasn't your fault you know. You weren't yourself._

_-I know I wasn't myself, but still... I was the one to do that. And for all I know of human medicine, I still don't know enough to help much. It's frustrating! The only good thing in this is that I KNOW Hunters have a very strong body, so it's unlikely that he'll die or suffer from lasting effects._

_-That's a relief. You may find it strange, but I like him. He was nice, well, _after_ you took some time to talk, and he did a great job in helping us earlier._

Kane simply quirked an eyebrow, his eyes shining with mischief.

-_Should I be worried that you'll leave me for him?_

K'tyss looked at him as if he was mad.

_Of course not! I'll never want anyone but you!_ she blurted out, her face one of absolute shock. It was only when she saw him smile that she understood he was teasing her. With a growl, she used her tail to swat him, only to have it stopped by one of the appendages on his back.

_Relax, I was only teasing you. I know you love me, and that's all that matters._

He had the pleasure to see her redden after he flashed her a smile, and grinned when she talked again, changing the subject.

_Did you know Stryss didn't have to kiss H'Chak-kta to give him the jelly? I think she likes him._

_-Oh, really? Then we'll have to make sure to tease her when he's better. It would be funny to watch. Oh, and by the way, that was a crappy way to change the subject._

That earned him a flustered swat on the arm, but considering he didn't even feel it, he let it slide. Instead of retaliating, he used one of his appendages to poke his mate's side, startling her, as she looked to her side only to find nothing.

However, she was prevented from getting back at him when they both noticed H'Chak-kta body starting to convulse. At first, it was nothing much, but after only a few moments, he was trashing around, and a frantic Stryss had to use all her strength only to hold the upper part of his body, and even that was mildly successful. Luckily for her, Kane came to help, and used his multiple back appendages to bind and hold the Hunter down. As he did so, he gritted his teeth. He knew these signs, they were the same that he had exhibited when he had a mutation.

The thing that perplexed him, though, was that while he hadn't been a normal human from the start, which means he may have had something in his body that reacted to the foreign DNA it detected when the resin was spit on him, he didn't think H'Chak-kta had anything like that, though considering how long they had known each other, he could very well have decided not to say anything.

_Hold him! If this what I think, it's going to be alright, but we need to keep him from hurting himself!_

The hybrid nodded, though holding him was easier said than done. Luckily, Kane had greater strength than either K'tyss or her after his mutation, so it was easier for him. The only difficult part was to hold the Hunter enough to stop him from injuring himself, but enough to not hurt him either.

As he expected, soon the Hunter's body started changing. The first changes were the appearance of a dark green exoskeleton, a shade or two darker than K'tyss's, that covered his back, arms, legs, and stomach. As the skeleton appeared, Kane expected to see the blades on his wrists to be gently pushed back, but instead, the skeleton simply grew around it, surprising him. As the change reached the hands, his fingers elongated and his nails changed to claws. The next thing was the changes of his legs, as they loudly cracked, making the Hunter's body shake in agony, to become more like his own legs, though more muscular and large. A long tail burst through the lowest part of his back, splattering dark fluorescent blood on the ground, the blood starting to slowly eat away at the material. Finally, a rather sturdy looking crown of sorts covered his head, between his forehead an covering a good length of his dreadlocks.

All in all, he looked remarkably like them, well minus the mandibles part. The only different parts were the blades on his wrists, his mandibles, and the fact that he looked a lot more muscular than them. Of course, any of them could easily bend a steel door five inches large, so that was not saying much in human terms.

Unsurprisingly, as soon as the changes finished, H'Chak-kta showed signs of waking up. The first sign was a slight quickening of his breathing, which would have been almost imperceptible to a human, but was as visible as the sun to the hybrids, and a slight release of pheromones indicating confusion. The second sign was a tensing of his muscles, and his heartbeat quickening.

All of a sudden, he propelled himself on Stryss, his blades only a few inches of her face.

**Stryss POV**

She had been relieved when she had noticed H'Chak-kta's body getting slightly warmer after she had poured the Royal Jelly in his mouth. However, when she had seen him start to convulse, she had feared the worse, and she had held him with everything she had, while helped by Kane, who seemed to have a pretty good idea of what was happening. She didn't even need to ask what it was, as the Hunter's body started changing, and she understood it was the same thing than what had happened to Kane.

_Is this my fault?_ she wondered. After all, each time she had spit her resin on someone, this person had changed shortly afterwards. She was wondering if her resin contained something that could possibly cause the body of the person she spit on to change itself. This theory, however, was countered by a simple fact: the change was different from what had happened to Kane. The human teenager had mutated step by step, and not in one big change, unlike what was happening.

She was brought out of her musing when she felt herself pushed on the floor, and she felt a rather important weight holding her down. Not only that, by something had restrained her tail and legs, while she had blades very close to her face.

A low screech came from her lips, as she did not like to be pinned down and threatened. However, the screech stopped quickly when she noticed that the one who held her down was H'Chak-kta. His features hadn't changed much, except for the head protection he now had, and the fact his cheeks were partly covered with a dark green exoskeleton.

_WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?! _screeched the Hunter's voice in her head.

Obviously, he was pissed. What for, she wasn't exactly sure, if it was the general change or one of the changes in particular that bothered him.

_She saved your life, you idiot! So calm down and let me explain!_ intervened Kane.

The Hunter hybrid simply glared at him, but nonetheless let go of her. She didn't move however, as she was feeling something she was not expecting: guilt. It was her that had changed him, it was her fault that he had changed. It wasn't surprising that he was angered with her.

After a few negotiations, Kane managed to make the newly changed H'Chak-kta sit down with them.

_So? What happened?_ asked the former Hunter, anger still present in his voice.

_Well, to put it simply, you had lost too much blood and past out. Considering that I was the only one with at least some medical knowledge, I went to get a first aid kit in the lab, while I asked these two to keep you on close watch. When I came back, Stryss had stopped the blood loss by using some resin she produced to cover the wound. After that, I used a syringe to inject you a substance that was in the first aid kit and that I thought was a stabilizer, and asked Stryss to give you some Royal Jelly. They had used some on me once, and it had sped up my recovery a great deal. After that, you seemed to get better, before you started to spasm. We restrained you, to prevent you from hurting yourself, and then you changed. You woke up a little after that._

H'Chak-kta shot him a dirty look, before storming out of the room. Kane had to stop Stryss from following him, as all she would be able to do for now would be to infuriate him further.

**H'Chak-kta POV**

As he stormed out of the room, he could see the guilty look on the older sister's face. A small part of him found it satisfying, as what had happened to him was entirely her fault. If she hadn't given him that jelly, or whatever they called it, he would still be himself.

As she walked down the corridors, his _tail_ was moving around, sometimes hitting the metallic wall, but he refused to acknowledge the fact that this _thing_ was now a part of his body. He could feel the changes in his body, in the way he perceived things. His senses were sharper, and seemed to be able to pick up extremely accurate details, even without his mask on. He quickly lost count of all the times he jumped as a slightly louder sound than usual startled him. That only served to make him angrier, and he clenched his fists, his new claws tearing through the hard exoskeleton and making him bleed.

He observed how his blood started eating away at the metallic ground of the facility. The sight disgusted him, reminded him how he was now an _Abomination_. All young Hunters were taught to never, _ever_, allow a Hard Meat to be born from one of them, and if need be, to kill themselves to avoid such a birth. It was considered one of the worst taboos to let an Abomination birth from you, and if it ever happened, the beast was considered a target that should be put down, not better than a rabid dog in the human society. And now he _was_ an Abomination. He would be hunted from one part of the galaxy to the next. The council would never allow him to be alive, even given his unusual circumstances.

With a snarl, he punched the wall. It wasn't a very dignified gesture, nor was it something he would do ordinarily, but now, he needed it, badly. He needed to find something to do, or he would go mad.

Too concentrated on his own troubles, he missed the fist that was coming in his direction, and was punched-hard-down the corridor, spinning on himself until he managed to stabilize himself and fall on his hind legs. Snarling, he looked into the eyes of an angry looking Kane. The mutated hybrid had his appendages moving around threateningly, and was an all fours, in a position that allowed him to make the maximum use of his speed.

_Bastard! What was that for?!_ he mentally screeched.

The ease with which he had started communicating mentally was starting to look unnatural to him, and he began to wonder if they may have planned to make him one of them from the start. It made sense now: why they had approached him, why they had been nice to him...It was all an act, to make sure he would be caught off guard when they would change him! They had tricked him! Then he would make them pay!

With a mighty roar, he propelled himself on the hybrid, but was knocked to the side by two of his appendages. Luckily for him, his thick hide allowed him to escape unscathed, and he quickly propelled himself backwards, landing in a fighting stance, his blades out.

Screeching in fury, the mutated hybrid tried to hit him with his tail, but he dodged at the last moment, gripping it and slashing through it with his blades, severing the blade from the tail. His foe let out a pained screech, and dove on him, his appendages moving already. He narrowly avoided the first, escaped the second, and leaped over the third, but then the fourth pierced his left arm, and the fifth cut his right cheek deeply.

Angered, he punched his closing's adversary's stomach, sending him in the nearby wall, with gashes on his stomach, courtesy of his blades. That didn't stop him, however, as he leapt back up immediately, his wounds closing in seconds. Apparently his mutation had sped up his recovery abilities, even if recovering from fatal wounds still took time. The wound on his tail had already started healing, and it would probably take a few hours at most for Kane to get back to his original state.

_You've made me like you! I never asked for this!_ he snarled, before lunging for his foe, who sidestepped.

_So what? You wanted to die, maybe? Sorry, but we preferred to keep you alive, and we didn't even know that would happen. We knew they were risks, but we didn't think you'd be transformed._

_LIAR!_ with that, he used his tail to impale his adversary, only to have it caught by Kane, who, with a grunt, used it to lift him and started crashing him in the ground repeatedly.

_If! You! Want! To! be! Angry! Then! Be! Angry! With! Me!_

He then started spinning, gaining momentum and disorienting H'Chak-kta, who was trying-and failing-to free himself from Kane's grip.

After ten or so spins, the mutated teen released him, sending him crashing in a wall that caved under the impact.

_I was the one who wounded you! Stryss tried to help you, so don't even THINK getting angry at her! _ he snarled.

Without even pausing to examine his wounds, H'Chak-kta used the wall to propel himself on Kane. Had he been a little farther from him, the teen would have had the time necessary to counter, however, he was barely away from the once human, and the speed he attacked at, Kane couldn't even deflect the blow. The blades on his wrist pierced the thick exoskeleton, burying themselves in Kane's stomach by at least three inches, drawing dark red blood. The blades immediately started to dissolve under the acid, but his skin, even covered in the blood, didn't get eaten away. He also received a few droplets of blood coming from Kane, who had coughed blood, but even then nothing happened to him.

Breathing heavily, he looked up, meeting the Kane's eyes, which were surprisingly calm.

_Feeling better now? Now quit your bitching! I never asked to be like this, but I made the best of it! So fucking man up, and do the same! You're supposed to be an awesome Hunter, not a fucking whining bitch! And before anything else, you're gonna fucking apologize to Stryss, who did her best to heal you, doing what __**I**__ told her! And so help me if you made her mad, I'll put you through the wall!_

All he could do was stare at Kane, whose wounds had by then almost completely healed, and who caught his arm, dragging him back to where they had come from.

All the while, H'Chak-kta was deep in thought. Was he really "whining"? What shocked him the most was that he was indeed. He had lost himself in his anger and fear, something that shouldn't have happened, yet did. He was ashamed of himself. He should have more control over himself!

Apparently, Kane had guessed his thoughts, as he felt a hit on his head, though it didn't hurt, seeing as he was protected by his "crown".

_Man, you should really loosen up a little. You freaked out, and I did the same when it happened to me, though in my case the change was progressive, so I had time to get used to it. You can't always be the Perfect Hunter! Hell, you're not even a complete one anymore, so why not start anew? I mean, the Code and all is good, but instead of blindly following it, why don't you simply do what you think is right?_

After that, Kane let go of his arm, continuing to return to the room where they had come from, leaving him deep in thought. He was surprised by how much sense the teen was making. All his life, he had been following the Code, and while it felt right most of the time, there were still times where he wondered if it was the best thing to do. Was it really so simple? Abandon what he had been, his previous life? It only took him moments to realize that he actually didn't really care. His lifestyle so far had been mostly solitary, and his whole race was ruled by the idea that the better you were at hunting, the better you were altogether. And yet one of the most respected Hunters he knew had done things that were not only against nature, but totally against everything he stood for. Speak of a good system!

He finally entered the room he had left in his anger, and saw Kane with his mate sitting against the wall, the petite female hybrid snuggling in his lap. Both of them were breathing slowly, as if they were asleep. That wouldn't be surprising, considering how stressful the last days had been. What interested him, however, was the figure hugging her knees in the center of the room.

He had always felt more comfortable with the older of the two, and now he felt ashamed of himself for getting angry at her. She had only tried to help him, yet he had treated her no better than if she had been _Him_, and considering where they were, it was hard not to make the connection. An seeing the state she was now in, he knew she had done the same, and that the realization had hit her. Hard.

For once in his life, he felt nervous. It was his fault that she was like that, so his own sense of honor told him it was up to him to apologize. Walking up to her, he took the time to watch her, observe her. Considering the situation until then, he really hadn't taken his time is observing her, and before trying to apologize, he wanted to get to know her, if only how she looked like.

Surprisingly, she was quite beautiful, though a little thin for him, but considering that female from his former species were only a little less muscled than males, it was understandable. After all, unlike him, she was partly human, and both human and Hard Meats had a tendency to be thin. She was taller than her little sister, and surprisingly almost as tall as him. Something in her made him feel strange, as if he was staring at someone who had a higher rank than him, like an Elite, though the sensation was different in that here, it was more comforting, less oppressive. It brought back faint memories of his youth, about the one person who had cared for him, as a person, instead of as a Hunter, the only one he sometimes still thought of as family: his mother. The feeling he got from the hybrid was similar, yet different, but he couldn't really explain it.

Gathering his courage, he slowly reached for her shoulder, and softly pressed it. He hadn't expected her to recoil as if she had been burned. She was looking at him with eyes filled with guilt, self-hatred, and fear.

_Don't touch me!_

At a loss as of what to do, he simply advanced on her, only to have her recoil once more.

_Stay away from me! You hate me, right? You despise me for that, right? So, just leave me ALONE!_

Having no idea as to what he could say or do that would make her feel better, he sat down, and looked at her intently, his eyes locked on hers.

_I'm not mad anymore._

Stryss looked at him as if he was insane.

_I WAS mad, true. Now I'm not. Your little friend_-he pointed at Kane's sleeping form-_made me realize that I was acting childishly. From what he said, you tried to help me, and did not expect this to happen. Is it true?_

The hybrid girl slowly nodded, probably unsure of what exactly was happening. What happened next probably surprised her even more, as H'Chak-kta kneeled before her, his head low.

_Then, I owe you a debt, for I have no doubt I would have died if not for you and your friend's intervention. I know this will probably not make up for how badly I reacted, but I want to apologize. If there is something I can do to make up for it, all you have to do is ask._

Stryss stared at him in disbelief, apparently too surprised to even form a coherent thought. He couldn't really fault her for that, though, as he hadn't really acted like this before, but now, he really didn't care. It was as if he had had a weight lifted from his shoulders, he was now free to act how he wanted, to act based on his own free will. It may take the others some time to get used to it, but he was fairly certain that they would get along just fine. Now that he was "in their shoes", so to speak, he understood that they weren't that different from himself. It was just a different culture, and as they would need to get used to his, he would need to get used to theirs.

Finally, the female hybrid started composing herself, and tentatively asked:

_Tell me more about yourself._

* * *

**So, I hope you enjoyed it! The epilogue should take me a lot less time than this chapter, but I want to make it right, so who nows? Anyway, please review, it's always valuable to have your opinion on this story._  
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**Anyway, thanks a lot for going this far in the story, and see you for the Epilogue!**


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